Circle of Light
by rhonderoo and Jedi Trace
Summary: AU sequel to What Choice Remains. Anakin Skywalker, Luke, Mara, Solos. 15 years after ROTJ, Anakin has survived to become the patriarch of the Skywalker family and Luke is planning to marry the woman he loves. The woman Vader betrayed. COMPLETE.
1. Default Chapter

**Authors: rhonderoo** and **Jedi Trace**  
  
**Rating:** PG  
  
**Genre:** AU, Anakin lives post-ROTJ

**Setting:** After Vision of the Future  
  
**Disclaimer:** Everything belongs to His Flannelledness.  
  
**A/N:** This is the "Infinities"-style sequel to our Original Trilogy story What Choice Remains, which followed the OT storyline with the exception that Mara Jade was secretly apprenticed to Darth Vader.  
  
Circle of Light is the We-Want-A-Happy-Ending-Darnit AU companion piece where _nobody dies._  
  
**This story can also stand alone.**  
  
Thanks for reading! Feedback is very much appreciated.

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**CHAPTER ONE**  
  
Docking in the maximum-security bay, the small party followed a Noghri guard down the hallway to the reception area of their intended host. Large paneled doors parted to reveal a dining room with a long table set for a formal dinner. A tall, cloaked figure rose in greeting, "We would be honored if you would join us."  
  
Laughter erupted from the group at the phrase Anakin Skywalker had used to welcome them. Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo stepped into the hall only to be unceremoniously eclipsed by three children who barreled through the doorway behind them, "Grandfather!"  
  
Ten year-old twins, Jacen and Jaina, followed by their younger brother, Anakin, ran headlong past the table and into the waiting arms of their grandfather. The elderly man laughed as the children chattered simultaneously vying for his attention, each trying to be the first to sit on a knee or be wrapped in a hug from the large man.  
  
"I built my first lightsaber!"  
  
"I passed the junior trials!"  
  
"Dad let me fly the _Falcon!_"  
  
Leia approached, rolling her eyes, "Children, _please_ - one at a time." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek being proffered, "Hello, Father."  
  
She turned to take in the room. Unlike the dining area on Bespin, the dining room was rich with organic material. Natural light streamed in through windows along the walls and sparkled in the small streams that fed exotic foliage scattered throughout the great hall. The stone walls, wood furnishings, many windows and flowers were a complete opposite of the interior of a Star Destroyer or Death Star.  
  
"I really like what you've done with the place," Leia said. "And here I thought you would need my help with decorating."  
  
"I would love to take the credit, but I know it was you who had this all set up, no matter how much you deny it," Anakin laughed. "Everything has your impeccable taste written all over it. And you know very well, if it is not something that involves a hydrospanner or military tactics, I have no idea what to do with it."  
  
"Anyway," he said as slipped an arm around her shoulder, "it gives me an excuse to see my daughter."  
  
Leia returned the gesture by wrapping her arm around his waist, "As least as much as possible."  
  
The thought struck Leia that eight years ago, this never would have happened. It had taken her far longer than Luke to forgive her father, perhaps because the wounds had been deeper...or perhaps because she was just like the man now kissing the top of her head as he let go to pick up "little" Anakin, who stood almost as tall as his elder brother at eight. Finally, she had come to know the man that her mother had fallen in love with, the man that had passed on the good to Luke and herself, and her children.  
  
"How are you, Father?" Luke asked. He had been waiting patiently as his sister and the children offered their greetings.  
  
Anakin clapped Luke's shoulder and smiled, "I am well, son. It's good to see you again."  
  
Unreservedly, Luke reached for his father in an embrace, naturally more open and unreserved than his sister, Anakin noted wryly.  
  
Luke observed that his father looked healthier than he had ever seen him. It had taken many years of surgeries and treatments, but the man that stood before him now could be considered almost whole. His skin had returned to its normal pallor after the redesigned breathing unit gave him the freedom to live outside of the suit. Tatooinians had a natural tan evolved by years in the sun, and most of Anakin's had returned, at least to a lighter brown undertone that was close to the tone that had been his before. He had a natural prosthetic right arm, similar to Luke's.  
  
He still bore some scarring, and his hair would never return, so he always wore a flight cap or the hood of his robe up. As if in rebellion to having no hair on his head, Anakin wore a half-beard similar to the one Ben Kenobi wore when he was older. The hair was blond now, with much gray, but Anakin didn't care. It was a vast improvement over his appearance of ten years ago.  
  
The surgeons had been able to remove the hideous scarring on his scalp and that was enough, more actually than he could have ever hoped. His eyes had been returned to his previous vision and color with laser surgery. He still wore a respirator, but technology now allowed him the luxury of a small unit that was surgically attached to his left side. It also had been designed to be blissfully silent.  
  
Anakin was dressed in an informal tunic, shorter than the older Kenobi had worn, that revealed the trousers underneath. He still wore darker brown robes and black leather tabards when dressed as a Jedi. Old habits died hard, he had jokingly said to Luke when his son asked. "I've never been a beige type of person, son," he'd laughed. Luke had noted a long time ago that the bone structure in his father's face had spoken of the handsome features that once were Anakin's trademark. They even had pictures of the Clone War hero.  
  
Anakin turned to Leia, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, "I have something for the children."  
  
They followed him into a spacious garden where three miniature swoop bikes hovered in the central clearing. The children ran to them, whooping and laughing.  
  
"Oh my stars," Leia murmured. How was she going to keep up with them now?  
  
"They are very safe," Anakin assured her quickly. "I built them myself."  
  
"Can we ride them, Mom? Can we?"  
  
Leia sighed and shook her head, "All right. Just be careful. And what do you say to your grandfather?"  
  
"Thank you!" they chimed, mounting the bikes and speeding away through the garden.  
  
Leia squinted after them for a moment before joining her father and brother in a shaded sitting area beside a clear garbum fishpond. The fish were native to Naboo, like many things in Anakin's home.  
  
Anakin looked at them expectantly, "You have news?"  
  
Luke and Leia laughed. Their father had learned to read them almost flawlessly over the years. Luke nodded toward Leia, who took a deep breath, "We have signed a peace treaty with the Empire." She looked up at Anakin, one of the few men remaining who had witnessed the onset of the decades of galactic hostilities firsthand. "The war is over."  
  
Anakin raised his brow and his face took on a thoughtful expression. For a second he looked at the ground, a far-away look in his eyes. He finally looked up at his daughter, admiration written on his face. "That is wonderful, Leia." He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, "You are so much like your mother. If anyone could bring peace, I knew it would be you."  
  
Leia shook her head dismissively, "Admiral Gilad Pellaeon made the proposal. The Imperial Remnant will occupy their own sector and we will not interfere with each other."  
  
Anakin nodded slowly and clasped her hand even tighter. In spite of her protest, his daughter had spent over half her life fighting the tyranny of the Empire and peace would not have been likely without her.  
  
He turned to his son who was grinning perhaps a bit too wide. "Well," Luke started, "it's not as monumental, but - I'm getting married."  
  
The elder Skywalker blinked in surprise, "That is...exciting, Luke. I didn't know that you were involved with anyone."  
  
"You know her," Luke continued, smiling. "It's Mara Jade."  
  
For a moment Anakin continued to look wide-eyed at Luke, the shock registering in his brain. He tried to keep if from showing on his face and leaned back in his chair, "I see."  
  
Luke's smile faded at the change in his father's manner. He had mentioned Mara to his father years ago when she had first joined the Jedi Academy. Anakin's face had clouded then with the same expression that Luke faced now, but his father had merely said that he knew her and that she would be a good student.  
  
Rising slowly, Anakin walked to the edge of the pond and turned to watch the children. The hum of the bikes and peals of laughter drifted toward them from the edges of the garden.  
  
Noting the subtle shift in his father's emotions, Luke turned to Leia with a questioning glance. She shrugged and shook her head in confusion.  
  
Luke continued hesitantly, "We will have a Jedi bonding ceremony at the temple. I'd like for you to come."  
  
Anakin stiffened. Beneath his father's carefully guarded thoughts, Luke sensed an undercurrent of apprehension and...regret. "I do not believe that she will want me to be there, son."  
  
"Why not?" Luke asked.  
  
Anakin bowed his head, plucking a weed from the low garden wall beside him. He answered quietly, "She was my apprentice."  
  
Luke's stunned surprise resonated through the Force unchecked.  
  
Anakin turned to face him. "For fourteen years, I trained her secretly. Palpatine learned of our alliance and accused her of treason." He paused, eyes haunted by memories that were better forgotten. "And I did not try to save her from his wrath."  
  
For a long moment, they sat in silence with only the sounds of the birds to break the stillness. The quiet was broken by eight year-old Anakin's voice, "Grandfather? I think the shifter broke."  
  
The elder smiled and tousled the boy's hair, visibly banishing the private pain to somewhere deep inside him, "Well, we will have to fix it then." Taking his hand, Anakin and Anakin walked together into the garden.  
  
_To be continued..._


	2. Chapter Two

**CHAPTER TWO**  
  
Hyperspace coordinates verified, Luke leaned back into the pilot's seat as the ship's vibrations altered in preparation for the jump. Leia waited for the steady glow of starlines before asking quietly, "Mara doesn't know that Father is alive, does she?"  
  
Luke shook his head slowly, still appearing somewhat dazed, "No."  
  
Anakin Skywalker's existence was a fiercely guarded secret, known only to immediate family, the contingent of Noghri honor guards who resided with him and the various Jedi Knights among Luke's students who had trained with him over the years.  
  
Whatever their differences had been regarding their father over the years, Luke and Leia had always agreed that Anakin would live in peaceful anonymity. It was Leia's idea that he should not remain in any one place for too long, and that he should assume a pseudo name apart from the family when away from home. In addition to the Noghri, Luke or one of the other Jedi always accompanied him when traveling to provide an extra measure of security.  
  
"And she never mentioned anything about being his apprentice?" Leia continued.  
  
Luke shook his head again, "She was an advanced student, but I assumed it was because of her training as the Emperor's Hand." He considered, not for the first time, that he had still had a lot to learn about the woman he loved.  
  
"Father seems reticent to see her again," Leia thought aloud. "Do you think Mara feels the same way? Whatever happened between them must have been over fifteen years ago. Surely she would have said something by now....if there was a problem, I mean."  
  
"I don't know, Leia." Luke exhaled a heavy breath, "I guess I'll find out."

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Luke was unpacking in his Coruscant apartment when a familiar brush in the Force announced Mara's presence. "Hi," she smiled from the doorway. Crossing the bedroom, she kissed him warmly, "Welcome back. How was 'family stuff'?"  
  
Luke grinned, "It was fine." Circling her waist with his arms, he pulled her close, inhaling the clean scent of her hair. His anxiety faded in the warmth of her embrace. Perhaps Leia was right and his anxieties about his father and fiancé were unfounded.  
  
Stepping back, Mara looked at his half-empty travel bag, "Want some help?"  
  
"Sure. If you don't mind the bachelor arrangements."  
  
Mara threw him a sideways glance and opened a compartment in the clothing chest, "It can't be that bad. Everyone puts their socks in the same drawer with...spare lightsaber parts?"  
  
"See," Luke answered with a wry grin. "Just let me know where to find my trousers when you rearrange everything."  
  
"I got a message from Kam," he called over his shoulder, voice muffled from inside the closet. "He said he needed to talk-" Luke turned around and froze. Mara was holding a small black case, one eyebrow cocked curiously. "You weren't supposed to find that," he muttered, flustered.  
  
"It fell on the floor," Mara suppressed a smile as he took the case from her.  
  
"Okay, well, I know you don't usually wear things like this," he began awkwardly, "but I saw it and I thought of you...of us." He opened the case and handed it back to her, "It was going to be a wedding present."  
  
She looked down at a simple but elegant necklace made of filaments of muted silver and emerald piltanum entwined around each other. Mara stared into the case, speechless. Luke shifted nervously, "If you don't like it-"  
  
"It's beautiful," she whispered, lifting it from the case. The deceptively light piltanum was one of the strongest precious metals known in the galaxy. "Like vines woven together," she murmured, fingering the delicate strands. "It's perfect." Wrapping her arms around him, she breathed into his neck, "Thank you."  
  
He held her close, answering softly, "You're welcome."  
  
"Here," she turned, lifting her hair as he fastened the fitted chain around her neck.  
  
"_Now_, it's beautiful," he winked.  
  
"Charmer," she grinned, tossing the empty travel bag at him and sitting on the side of the bed. "What were you saying about Kam?"  
  
"He had some questions about the Jedi bonding ceremony and wanted to meet with us." Luke sat beside her on the bed, "And I was hoping to talk to you about that, too." He braced himself, thinking this was as good a time as any. "Have you got a minute?"  
  
"I've got a meeting with Faughn later, but I'm all yours until then." She sensed his sudden trepidation. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, nothing's wrong. It's just-" he started hesitantly, "it's about my father." He studied her face for any unusual reaction. There was none. She knew what his father meant to him and had never given any indication that she was anything other than supportive of their, as she believed, very brief relationship. He swallowed, "Our 'family stuff' was that we went to see him."  
  
She nodded, "To his memorial, you mean."  
  
He took a deep breath, let it out, and shook his head, "No. The memorial isn't real, Mara." Luke reached over and clasped her hand, "He didn't die on the Death Star. He's alive."  
  
Mara stared at him blankly, wondering for a moment if he might have picked up a touch of hyperspace sickness, but his earnest demeanor was completely coherent. She pulled her hand from his slowly as realization dawned, "You're serious."  
  
"Yes," Luke answered gently. "Leia and I agreed to keep it a secret from the beginning...for his safety." Mara's expression wavered somewhere between disbelief and panic and Luke found himself sending subtle waves of reassurance toward her as he continued, "We went to tell him in person about the peace treaty with the Empire and to...invite him to the bonding ceremony."  
  
"You invited him?" she repeated, her face still registering shock. She finally looked away, eyes focusing somewhere in the distance.  
  
"Well, obviously, I didn't know it would be a problem, since you never...since I never knew that you were his..." Luke's voice trailed off. He couldn't think of anything else to say without sounding accusatory and there was no reason to place blame. They had both harbored secrets.  
  
Rising abruptly, Mara walked over to the window. Luke felt an unfamiliar stirring of emotions coming from her as she crossed her arms and squinted into the glare of the afternoon sunlight, an odd combination of numbed pain, regret and loss. "I'm sorry, Luke. I should have told you a long time ago." She turned to face him, "The whole thing was a mistake."  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly.  
  
She shook her head, "It doesn't matter now."  
  
"He seemed to think it did," Luke responded.  
  
"Is that so?" she said, a little too abruptly. Luke felt tension radiating from her; she was clearly more than just surprised at the revelation of his father's survival. There was something there, simmering just underneath the surface over which she was excising remarkable control.  
  
Mara felt him recoil slightly at her abruptness and she exhaled through a quick calming exercise. "I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I don't know what he told you but...it didn't end well, let's just leave it at that." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture. "And I don't hate him," she answered his unspoken question. "Not anymore."  
  
She wished she could say she felt nothing at all for her former master, but that wouldn't be true. She had loved him once, in the foolish idolatry of youth. But that part of her had died long ago, severed by the knife of betrayal, a scar that she tucked away to the place in her soul where all hurt went.  
  
"He won't come to the wedding if you don't want him there," Luke said, not quite hiding his disappointment at the prospect.  
  
Mara lifted her gaze revealing the same haunted expression that Luke had seen in his father's eyes. "I don't know, Luke. I never thought I'd have to - that I'd see him again." She rubbed her hands across her face, suddenly feeling infinitely tired. "I've got to go. Meet you later for dinner?"  
  
Luke nodded, "Sure."  
  
She walked over to him and cupped his cheek in her hand, "Thank you for the necklace." She kissed him softly before turning to leave.  
  
_to be continued..._


	3. Chapter Three

**CHAPTER THREE**  
  
Alone in the small transport, Mara gazed through transparisteel at the riot of construction that was Coruscant. The jumble of noise and traffic felt somehow appropriate, as it mirrored the turmoil in her head.  
  
The revelation that Darth Vader was alive had hit her like a sucker-punch to the stomach. Although he probably went by 'Anakin Skywalker' now, the memory of his reaction when _she_ had addressed him by that name left room for doubt.  
  
She had spent over a decade of her life trying to forget, to bury the painful memories associated with him and her youth. And now, as the initial shock wore off, the scab that had grown over that wound was suddenly loose, leaving a tumult of emotions churning in its wake.  
  
It was in this state that she arrived at the Solo household. Mara was not accustomed to such discombobulated feelings, or any lack of control for that matter, and found that she was actually looking forward to the mind-numbing discussion of wedding plans.  
  
The front door slid open and Leia appeared. "Mara," she smiled. "Come in. Glad you could stop by." She led the way into the dining area, "As you can see, every designer on Coruscant wants to be involved in the Skywalker wedding."  
  
Mara surveyed the dining table, or rather, where the table used to be. Wedding paraphernalia of every style imaginable covered the surface and spilled over onto the chairs and floor. "Wow."  
  
"Yeah," Leia agreed, shaking her head. "We've got to make some choices here."  
  
Han Solo appeared in the entry, "I still say you should elope. There's a nice little resort on Chandra-Kai. I could pull a few strings for you."  
  
"No thanks," Mara winced. "I'm not interested in your cash-only connection."  
  
Han feigned a hurt look, "What? This is legit-" He was interrupted by a crash against the door leading into the courtyard. Rolling his eyes, he palmed the door open and called outside, "Everyone okay out there?"  
  
"Yes!" came the chorused reply.  
  
Han turned back to Leia, "Tell me again why those bikes couldn't stay at your father's house?"  
  
Leia sighed, "The children begged and you know how he is with them."  
  
The courtyard door burst open and Jaina ran into the room, "Mom! Have you seen my – Oh, hi, Aunt Mara! Can I call you Aunt Mara yet?"  
  
Mara smiled, "It's fine with me."  
  
"Do you want to come see the bikes my grandfather-" Jaina clamped her hand over her mouth and looked up at Leia wide-eyed.  
  
"It's all right, Jaina," Leia reassured. "Mara knows about your grandfather."  
  
Relieved, Jaina continued enthusiastically, "Do you want to see the bikes he made us?"  
  
Mara smiled, tighter this time, "Sure."  
  
"I'm going to show him how fast I can go now when he comes for the wedding. He is coming, isn't he, Mom?"  
  
"We'll see, sweetheart. Now go back outside," Leia shooed her out the door.  
  
Mara lowered herself into one of the over-sized dining chairs and threw a dubious look at Leia, "So _that's_ what this is about. I knew you didn't need my help planning a wedding."  
  
Leia shook her head and sat in the chair opposite Mara, "No, that's not why I asked you to come over. But I do want you to know that we understand."  
  
Han emerged from the food prep area and plunked a decanter of Corellian brandy on the table in front of Mara. "Welcome to the family," he flashed his best lopsided grin.  
  
Leia shot him a sideways smile as he left. "It was hard for _all_ of us in the beginning, especially me. You know Luke, he accepted our father unconditionally. He told me that the events on the Death Star were very cathartic for him. I guess he and Father were able to work out their differences by trying to kill each other," she said with a shrug. Mara just stared at her, not exactly sure how to react to such a statement.  
  
"I'm only kidding about that last part," Leia chuckled as she laid her hand on Mara's arm. "I do think that Luke being able to face him and get all that out of his system really helped the both of them and, unlike the rest of us, he was able to talk with him all along. He felt – he _believed_ - that father had some good still in him, and given Luke's nature...well, you know how he is, probably better than I," she said with a smile.  
  
Mara snorted and looked away, "I know. Luke can be quite the idealist."  
  
"It took me a long time, Mara," she said gently. "I'd known my father almost all my life but...not in a way that I cared to remember. I didn't have anything to do with him for a long time after I found out he was alive. The past was just too painful."  
  
"What changed?" Mara asked quietly.  
  
Leia looked thoughtful, "It was when I had the twins. Luke asked if he could bring Father to see them and I agreed, reluctantly. But then when he held them, it really... affected him." Her eyes softened at the memory. "That's when we found out that he never got to hold us, or even see us as babies. He thought we were dead." Leia looked at her hands in her lap, her face taking on an air of sadness Mara had never seen in her future sister-in-law. "I can't imagine anything worse than losing a child."  
  
They sat in silence for a moment. Leia looked up and finally continued, "I started to realize that he wasn't what he used to be. He wasn't a monster, just a man - a man who had made mistakes. I got the feeling that day that he would have gladly torn himself apart if it could change the past...but it couldn't. I started to think about how I would feel if one of my children rejected me and how much I wanted Jaina and Jacen to have what Han and I never had – a complete family."  
  
Mara nodded. Luke would want the same thing. She couldn't blame him - she had never known her family, either. Her gaze drifted to a holocube sitting on a shelf beside her. She'd never noticed it before. It was a holo of a fit and attractive, but battle-hardened older man in dark clothing and polished black boots surrounded by Jacen, Jaina and Anakin. The children were laughing at something in the distance, and the man looked at the holorecorder with an amused expression, as he if he were about to wink. Her heart skipped a beat as she noticed the mirth in the startlingly blue eyes. _Blue eyes..._ She had seen them before.  
  
"Is that him?" she asked, astounded.  
  
Leia smiled, "Yes, about a year ago. You should see him with the children. He dotes on them and they adore him."  
  
_I'm sure they do,_ Mara thought. Even as a black-clad Sith lord, he had been a father figure to her. She had seen through the black prison in which he had encased himself - probably the _only_ person at that time who had, she thought ruefully. Past that black exterior and the hardness that had frightened Imperial bureaucrats and Grand Moffs into submission, there was a feeling - that if you got this man's protection, you would never be unsafe again.  
  
She reached for the brandy decanter and did a double-take at the handle and decorative bands. "Is that..._carbonite?_"  
  
"Yes," Leia grimaced. "It's a long-running practical joke between my father and husband," she called into the living area where Han was watching the HoloNet, "to exchange gifts that are encased in or somehow relate to carbonite."  
  
"Just wait till you see what I him got for his sixtieth Life Day," Han called from the other room.  
  
"It was funny for the first five years or so," Leia commented dryly. Turning around, she grinned at Mara's incredulous expression. "You either laugh or cry, Mara." She squeezed her future sister's hand, "And crying doesn't help."  
  
_to be continued..._


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Anakin walked into the house, fresh from a morning of throwing every Huttese curse he could remember and some that he couldn't at the spare hyperdrive unit from his advanced TIE. The ship was old, but he kept it in good repair and had even redesigned it so there was room for an astromech droid. The TIE model under the old Imperial design was appropriate for that mindset, but even in his former life he would often miss the companionship of having a droid with him in a ship.

Working on the fighter today was a treat, as Luke had left Artoo on his last visit; the little droid was nice to have around especially when dealing with a kriffing ancient hyperdrive unit that Watto wouldn't have sold on his worst day.

_Why are you letting this get to you? Where is this Jedi patience that you have cultivated in the last fifteen years?_

He snorted, as he knew the answer to that question...it was back in the kriffing garage where the piece of junk hyperdrive unit was.

Artoo tweedled at him questioningly, and he realized the droid probably thought he had lost his mind. He could see it now...Artoo calling Luke on the holo and telling him that the nice man he had left him with was talking to himself. Well, Anakin knew Artoo knew him well. He'd known Anakin longer than he had known Luke, he was pretty sure it wasn't the first time the little droid had seen him curse an inanimate ship. The holovid sounded and Anakin walked over and tapped in his code, thankful for the diversion and something different to do. Luke's face appeared on the screen.

"Hello, father," he said. "How are things?"

"Good, Luke," he smiled at his son and raised his brows. "What? Was Artoo sending messages that I was beating up on my ship?"

Luke looked at his father, puzzled.

"Never mind," Anakin chuckled. "It was a joke."

Luke smiled back at him. "Good, I was beginning to wonder if we had left you there with just Artoo and the Noghri for too long, but that's not why I commed."

"Oh? This is going to be good. I can tell by the look on your face," Anakin said.

"There are two things, actually. They're not bad, I promise," Luke grinned. "The wedding is practically here and I thought maybe you could help me with some of the preparations."

His father raised an eyebrow, "You do remember the story I told you about my wedding, right? I do not have any experience with that kind of thing. Your mother handled all of that in the short amount of time we had, and I think we were lucky to have a holy man and a wedding dress."

"Yes, I remember the story." Luke nodded.

Anakin paused, and then said, "Speaking of which, how does Mara feel about all of this...me helping you plan your wedding?"

"She's... She'll be fine," Luke answered defensively. "I think," he added for good measure.

"We are talking about the same Mara Jade, aren't we?" Anakin smirked.

"Well," Luke amended, "she isn't opposed to the idea." Anakin looked doubtful and cranky, so Luke continued before he could object further, "The other thing is that I need to go to Tatooine and I'd like for you to come with me. I don't think you ever knew them, but the Darklighters bought Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's place after...," he paused, and then continued, "After it was burnt out by the stormtroopers."

A look of regret crossed Anakin's face, and he closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very old. The times that his past chose to rise up and slap him in his face were fewer now, but they would never go away completely, he knew. He wondered if he would ever be able to even begin the insurmountable task of making up to his children everything that he should. "Luke –," he started, but was interrupted by his son.

"It's all right. You didn't know that it would happen, and furthermore, it's in the past," Luke said, quickly. "Now, the Darklighters have told me they were going to renovate the farm, but knew that grandmother was buried there. Silya wondered if I could come and tell her where the grave might be so that they don't disturb it or Cliegg's grave when they redo the grounds - maybe put some kind of marker or stone there for the two of them. I think there were a couple of others there if you can remember where they were, also. I told her I would, but by myself can't be sure of the precise locations."

Luke began to wonder if the unit's audio had malfunctioned. His father was looking down at the floor, a pained expression on his face. Finally, after what seemed like an infinite pause, Anakin looked up at his son.

"I haven't been back to Tatooine since before your mother and I married, Luke," Anakin said sadly, an air of finality in his voice. "I've always told myself I would never go back. Too many memories."

Moons and stars, his father could be stubborn, Luke thought. He wanted to beat his head against the console. He took in the look in his father's eyes and the set of his jaw - exactly like his sister's when she set her mind against something. It wasn't an expression of defiance, but the cool, emotionless detachment that only his father and sister had perfected, used when pushed against a wall. He knew without a doubt it was one of the reasons both had been so formidable to their adversaries in negotiations. Force help the person that would try to convince them otherwise...

_That's okay,_ Luke thought. _I can be stubborn, too. And I've got a few tricks up my sleeve._

He straightened and looked his father squarely in the eye. "While we are doing things for the memories of those that we loved...," Luke let his voice trail for effect, taking on the serious Jedi Master persona. "I also thought we could go to Naboo."

Anakin felt his back stiffen. _For the love of the Emperor, he's pulling out THIS card..._

Luke knew how much Anakin loved and missed their mother. He also knew that one of his father's worst flaws was to bury things and pretend they didn't exist. That particular talent had cost him and the galaxy much, and he had come a long way...but it was still a habit he battled everyday, especially with the more painful subjects.

The one thing Anakin had made a priority to set straight was his wife's memory, and the legacy she left behind on Naboo. He had a memorial built for her in Theed, had her grave at the lake house enclosed in a private garden that included the veranda on which they had wed for the family to visit, and given endless credits to the various schools of legislature that now thrived on Naboo. All of this was done from the countless fortune he had amassed in his former life, and never spent. He "willed" it to his son, who promptly gave it back and helped his father honor his mother's memory and start a legacy of _good_ for their family in the galaxy. All in her name.

He crossed his arms, and sighed in resignation. "When do we leave?"

_to be continued..._

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_Feedback is, as always, appreciated.  :)_


	5. Chapter Five

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The early morning sun glinted off the silvery surface of Anakin's customized H-type Naboo yacht as Luke loaded a supply crate into the hold. Artoo twittered gamely behind him and Luke turned to his father, "All set?"

Anakin nodded, leading the small party up the landing ramp. Settling into the pilot's seat, Anakin maneuvered the ship gracefully out of the planet's atmosphere while Luke entered hyperspace coordinates for Tatooine into the navcomputer. Moments later, starlines stretched before them and Anakin sighed, turning to his son, "I guess we are off."

Luke heard the tension in his father's voice and reached tentatively for his presence. Reached was probably the wrong word, for one never had to _reach_ for Anakin Skywalker's presence in the Force. It was always there, surrounding his father. Simply put, the Force _loved_ his father. He had heard the stories of his father's childhood and the circumstances surrounding his birth, but it was when they were close and totally open to each other that his father's "place" in the Force really hit Luke.

"It'll be fine, Father. You'll see," Luke offered, hoping to qualm his apprehension. "The best way to conquer ghosts is to confront them head-on, you've done it before – and won."

"You would know," Anakin agreed. "If ever anyone was good at confrontation, it was you...and your sister, for that matter," he added thoughtfully. He remembered the first time he'd seen Luke – a half-trained Jedi resolutely ascending the stairway of the carbon freeze chamber, too naïve to be afraid of the man awaiting him at the top, unaware of how much danger truly awaited him. And Leia – she had to be the only person from whom he had tolerated open hostility and blatant disrespect in the days before he knew her true identity. The Force had always guided him with his children, even when he was too foolish to do it himself.

Anakin was thankful that he had lived to see the Jedi fledgling grow into the man who sat beside him. And now Luke was going to be a husband, and perhaps a father himself, someday. Anakin had agreed whole-heartedly when Luke had decided not to follow some of the more asinine codes of the Old Republic Order and gave his blessing to Jedi who wanted to marry.

He thought of the romance his son had found and remembered those days of youthful promise. For a moment, he saw Padmé's face and was reminded of the empty place in his life – how different it could have been. He missed his wife every day, but she lived on through their children and grandchildren. Knowing that, he was content to be with them now, until he was with her again.

Luke's voice interrupted his reverie, "Credit for your thoughts."

Anakin regarded his son, "I am proud of you. As I'm sure your mother would be." Luke smiled. Anakin lowered his voice and said knowingly, "I really hope this isn't about helping with your wedding."

"No," Luke replied sheepishly. "I'm sure Leia and Mara have that under control." Anakin looked away at the mention of yet another ghost from his past. Luke had been hoping to breech the subject of his fiancé with his father. "She's nervous, too," he started. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Mara had not taken the bait and, sure enough, Anakin's response was the same. "No...it is between us." He turned back to Luke, softening his voice, "The two of you are happy?"

"Yes," his son answered sincerely. "Very much so."

Anakin nodded, "Then that is all that matters."

**x x x x x x x x x x**

The navcomputer's vidmap displayed their destination as: DARKLIGHTER FARM, FRESH PRODUCE AND GOOD CONVERSATION, STOP BY AND SEE US, though Luke hardly needed guidance as he landed the ship on the outskirts of the farm where he had grown up.

Anakin took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Thirty-five years. He had sworn he would never set foot on this wretched ball of sand again, yet here he was. The mission to recover the stolen plans for the first Death Star was one of the very rare occasions that he had not led his troops on the ground. He should have, he thought. He would never have authorized the slaughter of the Larses. What if Luke had been home? Would he have known? He banished such thoughts as the sandy terrain of Tatooine appeared before them. It was with a touch of incongruity he realized all it had taken was for Luke to bat his eyes and ask nicely to get him here. _If Admiral Ozzel and Piett could see him now... _

Luke came up behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder, "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Anakin said resignedly, pulling the hood of his dark brown robe over his head.

"Let's go," Luke said with a smile. Descending the ramp, he recognized the familiar form of Jula Darklighter approaching the ship. Luke had known Jula's son, Gavin, for years as a Rogue Squadron pilot and noted the resemblance in the brown eyes and warm smile that greeted him.

"Luke," Jula extended his hand, "I'm glad you could come."

Luke returned the firm handshake, "It's good to see you again, Jula." He scanned the familiar landscape. "Everything seems to be running smoothly."

"Eh," Jula shook his head dismissively. "Smooth as it can. You know how it is here." The elderly man's eyes wandered to the tall figure standing silently in the background.

Luke turned slightly, "This is Master Spicewood." Anakin tipped his head politely in greeting.

"Welcome," Jula responded, glancing sideways at the setting suns. "Come on inside. We just have time for refreshments before I have to shut the power down."

Luke and Anakin followed him into the kitchen where a petite gray-haired woman met them. Silya Darklighter's face split into a grin as she embraced Luke and held him at arm's length for inspection. "You look well," she approved. "And getting married, I understand."

"Yes ma'am," Luke flushed. His private life wasn't even private in the Outer Rim. He introduced "Master Spicewood" who, again, nodded politely.

Silya motioned for them to be seated in the small dining area where she had already prepared hubba-rind tea and flatbread. "How is Leia?" she asked.

"Good," Luke answered somewhat distracted. "She's good." Silya continued to putter around the kitchen, commenting about how nice it had been to meet Luke's sister years before when Han Solo had gone missing in a sandstorm.

Sitting across from Anakin at the same table where Uncle Owen had declared his father dead was a surreal feeling Luke had not expected. Anakin, too, appeared to be lost in his thoughts.

"-your room? Luke?"

He startled at Silya's question. "I'm sorry. What was that?"

"Would you like to spend the night in your old room?" she repeated.

"No," he answered quickly. "We don't want to impose. We'll stay on the ship."

Jula joined them at the table with a small datapad bearing a schematic. "Your Aunt Dama marked the area where she believes your grandmother is buried. She said her memory isn't what it used to be, but that you could comm her when you arrived."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary," Luke responded. He felt his father withdraw into himself even further. "I...found some old records. We'll go out in the morning and mark the exact location."

Jula and Silya exchanged glances, but said nothing. They weren't aware of any other Skywalker relatives, but it was not lost on them that Luke and his quiet older companion had the same color eyes.

**x x x x x x x x x x**

The Tatooine moonlight sifted in the window of the cabin where Anakin had been tossing in his bunk for the past couple of hours. He had overcome his inability to sleep in the last few years, a small peace settling over his life. Tonight, however, was a different story. It had been a night much like this when he had first tapped into the Dark Side all those years ago. He shook himself mentally. That memory was somewhere he did not want to go.

Feeling restless, he got up and dressed. He clipped his lightsaber to his belt and pulled his robe around him as he exited the ship. This would have garnered warnings from the Darklighters had they been awake, for the Tuskens made the night perilous on Tatooine. He was not afraid of Tuskens.

Going on memory alone, Anakin made his way out beyond the western edge of the sand berm. He knew this particular location on this Force-forsaken planet better than any other. He had been to it in his dreams and nightmares repeatedly over the last thirty years. He walked toward the patch of land that drew him like a magnet. The night wind had died down to a slight breeze as if in anticipation of the coming confrontation. Anakin sucked in a breath as voices of a woman and young boy long ago dead whispered in his head...this was the place. He drew the Force into him and let it guide him.

He must have meditated there for a while, because Tatoo I was starting to peek over the horizon, painting the sky a dark violet orange hue. While the darkness still comforted him, he placed the boulder he had moved to the site and drew his lightsaber.

**x x x x x x x x x x**

Tatoo II had made its way partway into the early morning sky when Luke found his father. Using the coordinates that Dama marked, he found the gravesite. His father stood, a lone figure with two flat-faced boulders facing him. Luke looked at the markers, the words "Shmi Skywalker" on one and "Cliegg Lars" was on the other. His father had carved their names intricately into the stone with his lightsaber. Luke walked up and put his hand tentatively on his father's shoulder as not to startle him. "Somehow, I knew you would be out here this morning."

"That predictable, am I?" Anakin queried.

"Actually, yes," Luke said with a small grin.

"Good," Anakin said with a hint of humor. "That means we know each other well, because I knew you would come looking for me."

Luke smiled, noticing a glint of silver as his father tucked a tiny datapad into his robes. It was the holojournal where Shmi had recorded her thoughts, fears and hopes after surrendering her son to the Jedi. Silya had given the journal to Leia not long after it had been discovered buried under a moisture vaporator. Years later, Leia had returned it to Anakin as a peace offering between the two of them.

"Are there gravesites for Owen and Beru?" Anakin broke the silence.

"No," Luke said, his voice taking on a sad note.

Anakin decided to leave it alone. "What do you say we get moving? We can get to Naboo by nightfall there and get you back to Coruscant by tomorrow night."

Luke and "Master Spicewood" showed Jula and Silya the markers and thanked them for their hospitality. As the ship took off for Naboo, Anakin breathed a sigh of relief at having finally faced one of the biggest fears of both this life and his life as the Dark Lord – Tatooine.

As the gondola pulled up to the dock at Varykino, Luke inhaled a deep breath. The sweet smell of flowers assaulted his senses. He had never found a place more beautiful than the lodge that his mother and father had called "home" in their time together. The peaceful garden was his mother's final resting place where the family came to pay their respects periodically.

Luke sensed that his father had withdrawn into himself again, but knew that this time it was for different reasons. He and Leia had noticed that the visits here often left their father with a quiet kind of sadness. They also knew there would come a time when they would be able to tell by these visits that he was ready to be with their mother, but that it was still a long time off. He had many years with his grandchildren yet.

Luke stood outside in the garden as Anakin reviewed the latest documents that were needed to run the lodge with the caretakers. He reached up and snapped a red flower from an overhead branch. Standing before the statue of the lovely woman who had stolen a young Jedi's heart so long ago, Luke knelt and placed the blossom on a stone that bore the name _Padmé Naberrie Amidala Skywalker_.

Strolling along the balustrade, the image of a young couple exchanging vows before a holy man appeared in his mind's eye. The couple turned and faced the lake as the vision disappeared. With a smile, Luke decided to talk to Mara about taking their vows here. It seemed the perfect way to seal his love to the woman with whom he would spend the rest of his life.

Anakin walked onto the veranda and crouched before the statue of his wife with a bundle of flowers. Luke left his father to spend a moment of solitude with his mother while he continued along the perimeter of the stone patio, his thoughts lost in hopes for the future.

_to be continued..._

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Feedback is, as always, appreciated.  :)

_**A/N:** References to the Darklighter family/farm and Shmi's holojournal are from Troy Denning's wonderful novel, Tatooine Ghost._


	6. Chapter Six

**CHAPTER SIX**

Luke and Anakin arrived in the Coruscant system and Anakin relaxed, looking forward to spending a couple of days with his grandchildren while Luke was preoccupied with preparations for his pre-wedding party. Anakin planned to be home before the party started. He didn't know if he could bear to be close to the celebration and not be a part of it. He knew that Mara would not be as comfortable with him in close proximity and felt it would be better to abstain from the event. It would be hard enough for her at the wedding, he was sure. His thoughts were taking a turn for the morose when the holotransmitter beeped and his youngest grandson and namesake's face came into view, lifting his spirits.

"Hi, Grandfather! Hi, Uncle Luke!"

"Anakin Solo, I told you to wait until I got there to press the button!" His daughter's face appeared and shooed her youngest out of the picture. "I'm sorry. Anakin got a little overeager," she said.

"Do not be silly," Anakin said with a frown. "I can't imagine anyone's face I might like to see more in a holo, except maybe my lovely daughter's."

Leia regarded him with raised brows. "Oh my stars. This trip certainly has done you some good," she said suspiciously.

"Nonsense, I have always thought you the noblest creature," Anakin said with mock hurt.

"All right, all right," Luke interrupted with a roll of his eyes. "Before you two get carried away... What's up?"

"Can I speak with Luke alone for a moment, Father?"

Anakin sat up straight, this time the hurt was real. "Certainly. I'll just be in the back," he said to Luke with a nod and got up to leave.

"Calm down. Before you get your cape in a bundle, Father...," Leia started.

"My _cape in a bundle_? Young lady, you are not too old to be turned over my knee!" Anakin drew himself up indignantly.

"Yes, your cape in a bundle. I just had a private matter to speak with Luke about, it's a surprise," Leia insisted with mock impatience, a laugh simmering under the "serious" tone she was taking. Sometimes it was just fun to get him riled up.

"_Can we get on with this, please?_?" Luke said. His voice had been a little louder than he meant it to be. His sister and father were trying his patience, especially since he knew it was because they had missed each other's company.

"I'll be in the back," Anakin said as he turned to leave. "I'll see you in a few hours, my princess," he said with a wink.

Luke just shook his head. He could never tell when they were serious with each other.

"Okay, what is it?" He asked.

"You need to be prepared for your engagement party when you land," Leia said.

"Come again?" Luke said with a touch of disbelief. "The party isn't until next week."

"Yes, well, there's been a change in plans and both you and father need to be prepared for the engagement party when you land," she said more precisely this time.

"What do you mean? What about Father? We can't just leave him sitting at home while we have this party, unless you've decided to leave the kids with him..." Luke said incredulously.

"Believe me, I have thought about that," Leia said. "But as much as Han and I need a night out without the kids, Father and Mara simply need to deal with it."

"Deal with what?" Luke asked. "You can't just force two people to 'deal with it', Leia. Especially people like those two. You _have_ met my future wife, right? We don't even know what happened."

Leia's face took on the look that Luke loathed. It was the same look his father had gotten at his home before they left for Tatooine. _Stang! This mess was driving him crazy!_

"I'll expect you two here shortly. And wear something nice!" With that she snapped off the holo leaving Luke sitting there with his mouth agape. _Why does she always get the last word??_

He stood and turned to retrieve his father and collided with the solid wall of his father's chest. He backed away and waited for the inevitable.

"So, we have just been ordered to land posthaste and show up at this party, and that is that?" Anakin's expression had taken on a thunderous look.

For a moment Luke felt a sense of dejá vu, only in an unthreatening and almost comical way. If this wasn't _his_ wedding, he be laughing his head off right now.

"It appears that way, yes," Luke said resignedly.

"She is _just like her mother_ when she gets something in her head," Anakin said through clenched teeth. He shook his head exasperatedly, put his hands on his hips and stalked to the back of the shuttle. "Well, you'd better get us there fast or there'll be hell to pay!" He yelled from the back of the shuttle.

_Just get me through this night..._ Luke closed his eyes and silently begged of the Force.

**x x x x x x x x x x**

Luke entered the small private ballroom and stopped, momentarily speechless. Leia had outdone herself this time. The flowers, centerpieces, music, even the place settings reflected the elegant design that only a princess of Alderaan could arrange. He smiled at the gathering of friends, family and Jedi who mingled quietly, or in the case of the corner currently occupied by Han, Lando, and Talon Karrde, _not_ so quietly, around the room.

Leia appeared at his elbow. "It's about time," she murmured. "Where's...Master Spicewood?"

"We ran into Corran on the way in," Luke answered. "They'll be here in a minute." Corran Horn had been friends with his father ever since he learned that Anakin had been a friend of Corran's grandfather, Nejaa Halcyon, in the Clone Wars.

"Well, look who decided to come to his own party," Han announced, clapping Luke on the shoulder. "I was beginning to think I'd have to toast the happy couple without the happy couple."

"Speaking of..." Luke looked around the room for any sign of his fiancé. He spotted her with Iella Antilles in front of an intricately carved ice sculpture and smiled in spite of himself. Mara's red-gold hair hung gracefully around her shoulders, complemented by her shimmering black gown. She and Iella were laughing at something in a plain brown package – one of the gag gifts she had threatened to give the bridesmaids, no doubt.

Luke started to walk toward her only to be halted by the grinning face of his brother-in-law, "Hang on, kid. I've got a little something for my little brother." Luke grimaced. He could only imagine.

**x x x x x x x x x x**

Across the room, Iella shoved the gift from Mara into a pocket of her party jacket as her husband approached. "I'm not even going to ask," Wedge commented.

"That's probably for the best," Mara smiled behind her not-quite-sabacc-face. "Have you seen Mirax anywhere?"

"She and Corran were on the observation deck, last I saw them," he answered.

Making her way graciously through the room, Mara exited the ballroom and keyed for entry into the observation lounge. She had decided to spare her wedding attendants the embarrassment of gaudy dresses, and instead had purchased each of them a talisman of questionable taste during her latest run to the Corellian Sector.

Mara stepped into the room and halted dead in her tracks as the door closed behind her. Corran and Mirax were not there, but the tall, cloaked form silhouetted in front of the floor-to-ceiling transparisteel wall was familiar...painfully familiar.

_to be continued..._


	7. Chapter Seven

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

* * *

_Mara stepped into the room and halted dead in her tracks as the door closed behind her. Corran and Mirax were not there, but the tall, cloaked form silhouetted in front of the floor-to-ceiling transparisteel wall was familiar...painfully familiar._

* * *

He stood looking out at the night sky of the city planet, back turned to her and hands clasped behind him in a stance that she knew all too well. Mara instantly shielded her presence, hoping against hope that he hadn't heard her enter the room. Even in dress shoes, she walked silently, a habit formed in her early life of Imperial espionage. She took a step back toward the door. 

"Don't go," a rich, almost-familiar voice broke the silence. The voice slammed against Mara's defenses like shock waves of a concussion missile. Although she could tell he was dampening his presence in the Force, everything within her felt flattened by him. He had always been so _big_ in the Force. Something deep inside began to ache and curl itself longingly around her heart. She silenced it automatically, reflexively.

Anakin turned; his face partially concealed by the hood of his robe, and nodded. "Mara," he said, lowering the hood.

She stared into eyes she had often wondered about as a child. They were softer now than they had appeared under the mask. He returned her gaze intently as if to give her time to acclimate herself with his face, a real face – not a mask. An open face that seemed familiar, yet different to her. It was handsome, but ruggedly worn with a battle scar over his right eye that seemed to proclaim itself a badge of honor.

"It has been a long time," he continued. "You look...well."

"Thank you," she answered stiffly, finally finding her voice. "You look...different."

Anakin acknowledged the comment with a slight inclination of his head, "Luke tells me that you have become a Jedi."

"He's a good teacher," her voice softened at the mention of Luke.

The silence pressed around them. Anakin thought he had mentally prepared himself for seeing his former apprentice, but couldn't find words now that she stood in front of him. He'd thought all the hard confrontations were over when he had faced his children and the memory of his mother. He wasn't prepared for how much this hurt, or how much pain he saw reflected in the green eyes that had once looked up at him with trust, even when his own flesh and blood children had regarded him with no such affection.

He finally spoke, "Mara, I-"

"Don't," she cut him off. "You don't have to. It...it doesn't matter anymore."

Anakin looked purposefully at her hands, which were clenched tight enough to turn her knuckles white. "Apparently, it does."

Mara released her fists and exhaled a calming breath. "I mean-" she paused, having no idea how to address the man standing in front of her. "What do I call you, anyway?"

"Well, you can be assured that I am no longer addressed as 'Darth Vader'," he said with a hint of dry humor. It was a tone of voice Mara had only heard in his most relaxed moments in their previous life...and that would've been about three in total, she thought wryly.

"Anakin," he answered quietly. "My family and friends call me Anakin."

"What I mean, Anakin," she paused, the name sounding awkward in his presence, "is that nothing you can say will change what happened. I accepted it a long time ago."

Her former master lifted an eyebrow and she followed his gaze down to her hands...which had balled themselves into fists. She released them, annoyed at how well he could still read her, and continued the mantra that she had been reciting to herself for the past decade, "You did what you had to do to save Luke. I cannot fault you for that."

"I see," Anakin said. He regarded her carefully as he spoke, "You used to be a better liar."

Mara recoiled slightly. It wasn't a lie. _She couldn't bear for it to be a lie..._

Shaken by the dangerous implication, she retorted, "I do have one question. If I weren't getting married to your son, I would never have known that you had survived, would I? And for all you know, or _care_, I could still be rotting in an Imperial prison."

Anakin closed the distance between them and looked down at her squarely. "There is not one day that passes that I do not regret leaving you," his voice firm and unwavering. "But, as you have already stated, I cannot change it. It is pointless to try."

Mara matched his tone, "You didn't answer my question."

He studied her carefully, his eyes reaching past the barriers she had so carefully constructed before responding, "I cannot." He tried to mask the disappointment as best he could.

She swallowed and turned his own words against him, "You used to be a better liar."

They faced each other in silent truce, both completely knowing each other's weaknesses. They had the capacity between the two of them to stand there at a stalemate for the rest of the night and were grateful when the door slid open in front of Jacen. "There you are, Grandfather." He called out into the corridor, "I found him!" Jaina and her younger brother appeared and Anakin, grinning from ear to ear, knelt to embrace each of them. "We've been looking everywhere for you. Are you coming to the party?"

The elder Anakin glanced over at Mara. "Of course," she smiled to her future niece and nephews. "We should all get back to the party."

**x x x x x x x x x x**

Leia was not at all surprised to find her husband laughing and her brother looking slightly flushed when she joined them near the table reserved for the guests of honor. "Have either of you seen Mara? The meal is ready to be served."

"Maybe she's talking to our guest," Han suggested. "I don't see him, either."

Luke turned to Leia, "What did she say when you told her he was coming?"

Leia looked surprised, "_I_ didn't tell her. I thought you would."

"I just _got_ here!" Luke countered, not quite hiding his exasperation while scanning the room for any sign of Mara or Anakin.

"Well...I don't hear lightsabers," Leia said between pressed lips. She stood on her toes to peer over the small crowd of their closest friends. She noticed someone moving along the wall towards the door. Upon closer inspection, she saw it was a lizard-like Trendoshan. Her instincts snapped into place as she realized it was not one that appeared familiar. Leia looked around for the nearest Noghri bodyguard.

She had mentioned off-handedly to Luke and Father that security would be increased due to Father's presence, but had decided not to tell them of the recent threats of Imperial Loyalist activities, and the subsequent threat to crash the party. She had never allowed threats of those loyal to the Empire ruin events and parties before, and she wasn't going to start now. They had all proven to be false alarms, anyway.

What came next happened so quickly that neither Leia nor the Noghri had time to react.

From the corner of the room, the Trendoshan jumped from the shadows and grabbed her youngest son and his friend, Valin Horn. The alien pulled their small bodies roughly up against his mid-section. With a sinking feeling, Leia noticed the vibroblade pointed at Anakin's throat. Valin screamed and Anakin kicked futilely. Corran Horn ran from the back of the room with Mirax close behind, the blaze of his lightsaber joining the dozen other glowing swords that had ignited among the crowd.

"Stay back or I'll gut them right here!" the reptile hissed vehemently. "I've been hired to bring the grandson of Darth Vader and the son of Leia Solo to someone who is willing to pay very handsomely."

The Trendoshan slowly slid the children down his middle, making sure to hold their arms in the iron grip of one talon. Leia moved slightly and Han tensed, a sign that he was with her. While the lizard-creature was getting the children settled in his grip, they could strike quickly.

Without warning, Anakin and Valin were suddenly torn from the alien's grip by an invisible hand and the Trendoshan flew backwards into the wall. The boys stumbled forward and were caught by Mara Jade as members of crowd gasped in surprise. To anyone unaware of the identities of the invitees, it would've appeared that a mercenary bounty hunter had stalked in and found his kill, such was the look on the face of the man now glaring at the alien suspended in front of him. The Trendoshan managed to fire a single shot from his blaster, which Anakin Skywalker deflected nonchalantly with his left hand.

The low rumble of Anakin's voice was as ominous as Mara had ever heard it and she turned the children away from what was certain to be an unpleasant and disturbing scene. "I do not believe you are on the guest list." With that, Anakin released the alien, turned on his heel and signaled for the Noghri to remove the gasping but conscious intruder.

For a moment, everyone stood unmoving. The display of power was a bit much to take in at once for those unaccustomed to the man who was known only to a few of them.

Leia, obviously flustered, inspected her son for any sign of harm, "I can't believe that thing got past security."

"I can't believe it's still breathing," Mara quipped, awed more by Anakin's restraint than anything else.

Luke clipped his lightsaber to his belt as he approached, "Anyone hurt?"

"We're okay," his nephew answered, even if a bit shaky. Valin, who was clinging tightly to his mother's hand, simply nodded.

Luke's father joined the group quietly and Corran clasped his arm, "Anakin, I really appreciate what you just did for my son."

"Don't mention it. You would have done the same for any of my grandchildren," Anakin returned Corran's affectionate gesture.

Corran looked to Luke and then Kam and winked. "You know, uh, that we had your back. I mean, uh, if things had of gotten _really_ nasty." Kam and Luke smiled at each other and looked to the floor, both trying to suppress laughter.

Anakin raised a brow and smirked, "I am so glad you were here, then." He looked to Han, Leia, Mara and the rest of the group. "Well, I don't know about you, but I am ready for a drink."

**x x x x x x x x x x**

An hour later, Luke pushed his plate aside and turned to Mara, who had barely touched her food. "I didn't get a chance to say it earlier, but you look amazing."

"Thank you," she ran an appreciative eye down his black dress tunic. "You don't look half bad yourself."

Luke reached for her hand and glanced across the room at his father, who was casually talking to various Jedi with whom he had developed friendships over the years.

"Is everything all right with the two of you?" Luke asked quietly.

She hesitated, "I wouldn't say 'all right'. But I can see why your family cares for him." Luke caught the flicker of pain across her face, "It's a lot to absorb."

"I know," Luke gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "And you have no idea how much it means to me that you're willing to try."

Mara smiled, caressing his face with her eyes. "Come on," she pulled him to his feet. "Dance with me."

..._to be continued_


	8. Chapter Eight

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Night had turned to early morning when Luke and Mara finally left the engagement party. Hand in hand, they arrived at her apartment and promptly deposited themselves on a lounger in the sitting area.

"That went well," Luke remarked, propping his boots on the low table in front of him. "Attempted kidnapping aside."

Mara shot him a sideways glance, "Haven't you heard? It's an undisputed galactic phenomenon that Skywalkers attract trouble. I think I read it in a scientific journal somewhere."

Luke rolled his eyes as Mara rose with a swish of her black gown and poured two small glasses of Dodbri whiskey. Returning to Luke, she sat facing him, tucking her legs to the side as she handed him a glass. "Speaking of, how was your trip?"

Luke noticed the tightness around her lips but reserved a comment. It had been a stressful evening for all of them. He answered lightly, "Good, I hope. Cathartic. For Father, at least. He had sworn that he would never go back to Tatooine and, for a while, I didn't think I was going to sway him. But he finally relented when I used some emotional inducement."

"You mean blackmail," she quipped, attempting a grin.

"I prefer to call it incentive. Sometimes, I think you have to go back before you can go forward, and Force knows my father can be stubborn about going back," Luke added warily. "As strong and powerful as he may be, he still has his weaknesses and facing difficult memories has never been his strongest point. But, as much as we hated that ball of sand growing up, it centers us Skywalkers. Even Leia felt it when she was there. For all of Tatooine's harshness, it really has a mystical quality."

Mara examined the contents of her glass, "You're lucky, you know? That you have a place to call 'home'." In spite of her privileged access to Imperial records as the Emperor's Hand, she had never been able to discover anything about her parents. She rarely spoke of her origin, and really, Luke's father was the only attachment she had. Perhaps that was why losing him hurt so much. Her biological heritage was simply of no consequence anymore, but sometimes she couldn't help but wonder. She returned her attention to Luke, making a conscious effort to repress such hazardous thoughts, "And Naboo?"

Luke face lit up as he answered, "Have you ever been there?"

"No, but I've heard it's lovely. It was your mother's home planet, right?"

"Yes. There's a memorial there to her, at the terrace where she and my father were wed. It's the most beautiful place, Mara." He leaned forward and took her hand eagerly, "And it gave me an idea. I think we should get married there."

"But," Mara started cautiously. "Leia has made all those other plans…" 

"I know," he answered quickly. "We can still have the public ceremony. This would be private, for family and friends." 

"But, Luke," she protested. "It's a family memorial. Your mother…I couldn't possibly…"

Mara felt a strange sense of separation from her fiancé's family at the mention of his mother, like she was intruding. She knew it was unfounded, but she had the strangest feeling it had to do with Anakin. It occurred to her that she felt like she was standing outside the family circle with every mention of Luke's parents.

"You are part of my family," Luke squeezed her hand in reassurance.

She eyed him skeptically, "What would your father think?"

"I already asked and he said that he would be honored. He is happy for us," Luke said. His father always wanted his happiness, he knew this. Anakin had never been anything but pleasant when discussing his intended, but Luke knew there was something simmering there. Something festering.

Mara's features hardened and she stood abruptly, "Well, _that_ can't be right." She loved Luke but his naiveté was maddening at times. He thought only in terms of his own willingness to forgive, which was pretty immense. 

Luke was taken back by her sudden hostility, "What are you talking about?"

"I am quite sure that my happiness is of no significance to him," she answered coldly.

Luke rose to face her, incredulous at the turn the conversation had taken. "Mara, you cannot continue to judge him by things that happened in…in another life!" he sputtered.

Mara gritted her teeth. It had been easy to be calm and detached when simply talking to Luke or Leia about their father. But now that she had seen and _felt_…him, a tidal wave of misery surged within her, threatening to drown her with its intensity. In desperation, she lashed out with old defensive tactics that came all too easily, "Why not?" she demanded sharply. "People judge me all the time for my former career. Why should he get off crate free?"

"You are being completely irrational," Luke felt a flush of exasperation. He lowered his voice for emphasis. "Nothing has been _free_ for him." 

"He's had a few hardships himself, you know," he continued heatedly. "I would have thought that you, of all people, would understand what he has had to overcome to be here. It's not as if Palpatine did him any favors, either. And I am getting _a little tired_ of skirting around this issue when neither you nor my father will tell any of us what the Sith hells is going on. If every mention of my father is going to turn into an argument, this could become a very unpleasant marriage."

And there it was. They stared at each other, the words reverberating between them like a poisoned vibroblade.

Mara paled. It took a lot to rile Luke Skywalker, and his father was obviously a precarious subject. She braced herself - he had the right to know.

Luke raked his hands through his hair, "I'm sorry, Mara. But I just don't understand-"

"_I loved him._" Mara had never spoken the sentiment aloud and felt suddenly and completely vulnerable in its wake, the past washing over her like the tide of an ocean.

An uncharacteristic quiver in her voice betrayed the depth of emotion that the confession evoked, "He was _everything_ to me. My mentor, my refuge…my surrogate father. But, in the end, I meant nothing to him…and he left."

Luke stood speechless before her. She studied a spot on the wall over his right shoulder and forced an account of the past through the guardrail of her memory. "When Palpatine sent me to Jabba's Palace to kill you, I discovered Vader's real name…and that you were his son. That's why I didn't try to assassinate you.

"The Emperor found out, of course," she continued. "Apparently, he had known for some time that I claimed another Master and the mission to Jabba's Palace was nothing but a ploy to destroy us. I would kill you and then Vader would kill me. He almost did," her throat tightened at the memory of the red glowing blade poised at her neck.

"I was arrested and taken before the Emperor and Vader. Palpatine gave me an ultimatum: to kill you or be punished for treason. I told him that I would not betray my Master…and that I would not kill his son."

She swallowed, "You can imagine how well he took that."

Luke grimaced. He, too, knew the consequences of defying the Emperor.

Mara crossed her bare arms in front of her, as if it could shield her from the memory. "The next thing I knew, I was on the floor. There are varying degrees of Force lightning - did you know that? There's the kind that to simply scare you. Then there's kind that compels you to you reconsider your life choices. Then there's the murderous rage that makes you pray for death to come quickly. I'd never felt the last, deadliest lightning…until then." Her voice drifted off, eyes glazing over against the pain of recollection.

"Vader and Palpatine argued. I couldn't really hear what they were saying – it was all fuzzy then – but I do remember the Emperor telling Vader that he could save me, but that it would kill him. And then Palpatine would save Vader's suit…for you."

Luke shuddered involuntarily.

"Vader left me there," Mara raised her eyes and, for an unguarded instant, Luke saw the anguish of betrayal reflected in their green depths. "I _trusted_ him-" her voice cracked as she turned away, angrily swatting at the threatening tears. "I was young enough to believe in trust - an ideal that I subsequently abandoned for many years."

"Mara, I-" Luke started weakly.

"I blamed you, of course. Seeing as how I thought he was dead," she continued as if she hadn't heard him. 

Luke nodded slowly, finally understanding. "_That_ was why you wanted to kill me. Why you hated me."

She turned to him with an ironic smile of self-depreciation, "It made sense at the time, I assure you. It's truly remarkable, you know. How hate can poison and distort a rational mind." Mara reached for her glass of Dodbri whiskey and downed it in one shot. "And then, I _met_ you and…" She plunked the glass onto the table, "You know the rest."

Luke searched his memory for the moment when he had felt the release from her hatred. "Wayland," he murmured. "C'boath's attack."

"You were willing to sacrifice yourself for me, even when I despised you beyond all thought or reason. After that, I could no longer blame you for Vader's actions, or lack thereof. He was dead. I moved on."

Luke bowed his head, "My father is not who he used to be, Mara."

"So I've heard," she answered dryly.

Luke stepped close enough for her to feel his breath against her face. His eyes boring into hers, he clasped her arm gently, "I cannot choose between the two of you. You have to find a way to move on again, Mara." 

"Don't preach at me, Skywalker," she answered, drained of all emotion. "You won't have to choose anything." Turning away, she picked his cloak up from the lounger and handed it to him. "You should probably go. I have to leave early in the morning for the Moddell sector."

Luke took the cloak from her hesitantly, "I thought Karrde had reassigned all your duties until after the wedding."

"Cade had a family emergency and I told him I'd fill in. I would have been gone before you and your father got here if Leia hadn't rescheduled this blasted party," she moved toward the door.

Luke followed slowly. She had withdrawn into herself, just as she had during every other confrontation they'd had in the past ten years. He watched her in disbelief; he couldn't believe that they were here again.

Mara turned to face him and Luke stepped forward swiftly, encircling her with his arms and pressed his lips against hers. She stiffened but he held her even tighter in response, refusing to release her from his kiss until she relaxed in his embrace. Luke felt her mental barriers yield and started to step back, but her hands sought his face and pulled his mouth against hers fervently, in desperate apology.

When they finally separated, Luke spoke in a voice husky with emotion, "I love you, Mara. I want this to work."

"So do I," she whispered, eyes pleading silently for understanding. "So do I." 

_to be continued..._


	9. Chapter Nine

**A/N: **_Thanks for sticking with us, folks. Your comments and feedback really mean a lot. Sorry about the break in posting - half of our duo was on medical leave for a while. This story is over half-way finished and our goal is to update weekly. Thanks for reading!!_

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

"What's for dinner?" Han asked his wife as he came into the kitchen.

His hands were dirty from Force only knows what, Leia thought wryly to herself as he washed them in the sink. "Nerf steaks," she answered as she poured the side dish from its pot into a bowl. The steam rose and filled the kitchen with the aromatic smells of home cooking.

"Mmmm, smells good," Han said as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "I think I'll keep you after all, Princess."

Leia leaned into his embrace, "That's nice to hear…from a scruffy-looking nerfherder." She turned in his arms and winked. "Now go. Get of here. You're in my way," she said as she playfully slapped at him with her towel. "Jacen and Anakin are being way too quiet. You should probably go see what they are up to."

"You're right. I wonder where Chewie is? The last time they were this quiet, they had him tied up for hours before we found him," Han said as he grabbed a grava bean.

The doorbell rang and Leia glanced toward the door with a brief look of concentration, "It's father. You go check on the boys. I had forgotten about the 'Tie Chewie Up' incident," Leia said. She wiped her hands on the towel and opened the door, smiling up at Anakin, and pulled him inside into an embrace, "Hope you're hungry. I think I got a little carried away with dinner."

"It smells wonderful," Anakin said as he bent down to kiss her cheek.

"Here, let me take your robe," Leia offered.

He shrugged out of his robe and handed it to her. "Where are the kids? It's quiet in here."

"I know. I have Han checking it out as we speak. Jaina is sick. She was up all night coughing and keeps asking if you're here yet."

"Well, I won't keep her waiting then," Anakin said.

He went to Jaina's room and tapped lightly on the door. "Jaina?"

"Cub in Grabpa!" she said hoarsely.

Anakin opened the door and looked down at the little girl who looked amazingly like his wife…and his mother. "Hi, there pumpkin," he said as sat on the side of the bed.

"Ah-CHOO!" Jaina sat up in bed and sneezed all over her grandfather. "I'b sorry."

"That's all right," Anakin smiled, handing her a tissue.

Jaina looked up at him with watery eyes, "Mom says I hab the flu and I hab to stay in beb."

"Your mother is right. It is best to rest when you are sick. It makes you heal faster." He reached for a cup of warm liquid on the night stand, "Here. Why don't you drink this?"

She made a face, "It sbells terrible."

"Come on, drink," he said as he tapped the cup. "It will help you feel better."

Jaina sipped the offensive liquid reluctantly. "It hurbs to swallow," she gave the cup to him and sank back into the bed.

"I have something for you," he said. He withdrew a small shiny hydrospanner from his pocket and gave it to her.

"Wow. My owb hybrospanner. Thanks, grabpa," she said turning the tool over in her hands. "Will you sit wib me?"

Anakin settled beside her and leaned back against the headboard. "Of course."

She smiled, snuggling against him, until her whole body was suddenly shaken by a violent fit of coughing. "Shhh…" Anakin pushed a sweat-soaked strand of hair away from her face and rested his hand on her forehead. She grew still, drifting into the peaceful sleep of a healing trance, the hydrospanner still clutched in her hands.

Anakin watched her slow and steady breathing. _This is what it must feel like to raise a child_, he thought sadly. He had wanted nothing more than to raise a family with Padmé and yet he had missed all of this with Luke and Leia. It was Palpatine's greatest crime, in his mind.

In hindsight, it must have been the reason that he was drawn to Mara. She was the same age as his children would have been, when he believed them to be dead. And yet he had allowed Palpatine to destroy even that small bright spot in the darkness that had been his existence.

His mind wandered involuntarily back to a night twenty-five years earlier when the girl in the sick bed had been older with red hair…

He closed his eyes and shook off the familiar pang of regret. Just as with his children, he could not risk dwelling on the mistakes of the past. He had learned that hard earned lesson a long time ago. Despair was as much a part of the dark side as anger. At least he had his grandchildren, and he would make sure he treasured every moment with them. He leaned down and kissed Jaina's forehead . Rising slowly, so as not to disturb his granddaughter, he left the room silently.

**

* * *

**

Leia looked up from setting the table as Anakin entered the dining room, "How is she?"

"Sleeping," he answered. Luke had come in while he was in his granddaughter's room, "Hello, son."

Luke smiled, embracing his father quietly.

Leia propped her hands on her hips and grinned at Anakin, "So, what did you bring Jaina this time?"

Anakin looked at her innocently, "Why do you ask?"

"Because you always bring her something," Leia smiled.

"Oh," he smiled sheepishly, reaching for a glass of water.

"You're going to spoil her rotten."

"It's the least I can do. I should have been doing the same for you. You were my little girl. It's probably best I wasn't around. You would have been absolutely spoiled rotten," Anakin winked at his daughter.

"Yeah. Like she's not now," Han said with a smirk as he came into the room with Jacen and Anakin in tow.

"Oh, be quiet," Leia quipped with a smile.

"It's true. Even Jabba couldn't take the highness from Her Highness here," Han said as he went to get a Giza ale from the refrigerator. He leaned down to peck Leia on the cheek.

Luke coughed loudly from the table.

"Jabba?" Anakin frowned. "The Hutt? What are you talking about?"

Luke looked at Han and shook his head in warning.

Han stood there. He must have opened up a case of slugs. _Damn it, there's always a case of slugs with this family_, he thought in exasperation.

Anakin looked to Leia. "What is he talking about?"

Leia glanced at Luke, who answered with deliberate calm in his voice, "It's nothing, Father. Jabba just….took Leia as his slave when we went to Tatooine to rescue Han."

"Slave? Did you say _slave_?" Anakin asked, his voice rising.

"Yeah, Mom even had to wear a metal slave outfit," Jacen interjected. "Dad said-"

"Okay, Jacen," Han interrupted. "Come on, boys. I'm sure there's _something_ we need to do in the garage."

"Are you saying that _Jabba the Hutt_, a slimy Hutt…." Anakin's voice had dropped to a menacing baritone, "had you chained up as _a slave_? I swear to both suns of Tatooine, if I had known…"

"Whoa, Father," Luke interrupted. "Jabba is dead. Leia killed him herself. You would have been proud," he clapped his father on the shoulder.

Anakin sat down at the table. "I'm sorry, Leia. I didn't mean to lose my temper, it's just when I think… I would have loved to see Jabba being choked with his own chain," he stopped and drew in a heavy breath. "Anyway, it's over now and he's dead now."

"Yes, it is and he is," Leia answered gently, squeezing his hand. "And you couldn't have always been there, regardless. Now," she looked at Luke, "should we wait for Mara before we eat?"

"Um, no," Luke shifted uncomfortably. "She had to leave for a few days. Something for Karrde."

"What?" Leia startled. "I thought Karrde-"

"I know, I know," he answered. "A last-minute thing. Supposedly."

Luke felt his father's gaze and met it hesitantly.

"All right," Leia looked slowly between her father and brother. "I'll just go get Han and the boys, then."

Anakin regarded Luke and nodded in understanding, "Well, do you want to talk about it?"

Luke swallowed, looking down at the table, "What is there to say?" He traced a grain line in the wooden table top with his finger. "You know how Mara is. She's stubborn as a rancor, won't budge a meter until she's ready-"

"And she is loyal to a fault," Anakin finished. He reached across the table and patted Luke's hand. "She will come back, son. She just needs time."

Luke looked up in surprise. He hadn't expected his father to defend her sudden mutiny.

"And when she does," Anakin continued, "I will try to talk with her, if you want. It is probably something I should have done a long time ago. She can't be anymore stubborn than your mother." Anakin shook his head.

Luke smiled in gratitude as the rest of the family piled into the dining room.

_to be continued....._


	10. Chapter Ten

**CHAPTER TEN**

Alone aboard the _Mistryl's Silhouette_, Mara rummaged through a supply compartment for packets of stimcaf, the confrontations with Anakin and Luke reverberating through her mind like a cymbal gone awry.

_"I would think that you, of all people, would understand what he has had to overcome to be here."_

Mara understood, all right. Even after pledging her allegiance to the New Republic, she had floundered through years of self-destructive patterns. She knew what people had thought; she wasn't deaf. She'd heard the whispered accusations the she was avoiding commitment or running from her past, or other such nonsense, when the only thing she had ever fled in her life was herself.

And now, dreams that hadn't plagued her in over a decade had returned with every attempt at sleep; nightmares of blood-stained hands that haunted her in a relentless downward spiral of despair. Once-familiar tendrils of the Dark Side, hungry for her pain, lay in wait just outside her consciousness.

Mara closed her eyes, relaxing into the Force. The threatening shadows receded as she immersed herself in the living power, just as Luke had taught her.

Luke.

She fingered the delicate strands of emerald and silver around her neck. He had saved her, his light burning through the shell of her self-imposed prison and penetrating her soul just as it had pierced Vader's cocoon of darkness. He would tear himself apart for his family. Could she do any less for him?

A tingle of anticipation prickled the back of her neck just before the nav computer signaled incoming coordinates. Karrde's contact for this particular run routinely waited for Cade's arrival in the sector prior to transmitting the rendezvous point.

Mara keyed to receive the coordinates and the tingle along her hairline exploded down her arms and back. _Of course,_ she thought. The premonition in the Force alone should have told her. It was precisely the reason she had refused this assignment, the only assignment she'd ever refused from Karrde, from the very beginning.

Luke's voice echoed in her mind: _"Sometimes… you have to go back before you can go forward."_

Mara took a calming breath and exhaled it slowly. With resigned determination, she set the course for Vjun.

* * *

The transaction with Karrde's associate had been completed quickly and nowhere near the large manor house now filling the viewport of the _Silhouette_. The very atmosphere of this planet tingled with the Force and drew her to this particular hilltop like a warm embrace. 

The spires of Bast Castle rose before her as the ship descended into the mist. The planet's bleak environment had hidden the turrets until she had broken into the lower atmosphere. The landing pad jutted from the edge of the castle, appearing from nowhere in the cloud cover.

Mara landed the ship and exited, glancing up at the clouds scuttling across the gray sky which was, thankfully, free of seasonal acid rains today. She expected the castle to be secured, but it wasn't. Grit and grime from the landing pad blew into the entry way as she stepped inside the unlocked entrance. Mara pulled her jacket tighter as the temperature in the castle seemed to drop ten degrees. She could see her breath puff in front of her face.

She jumped back as a hura lark flitted from an overhead nest hidden in a crack. She walked to the main entrance and half expected to find Myr and the droid staff waiting to welcome her. She snorted to herself; that had been a long time ago. The Empire had most certainly made sure there was nothing left to inhabit the home of the traitor, Darth Vader.

Mara stopped in the foyer and looked around. The windows still held their opaqueness and, ironically, she didn't get the feeling of ominous foreboding from them that she had felt in her youth. She wondered if Anakin had ever returned to retrieve any valuables and shuddered as the past threatened to assail her again. Had he known the last time he was here that his destiny was right around the corner? Or had he walked away from the castle and never looked back as he did so many other things?

She circled the room and ran her fingers along the door frames and window sills. It appeared he hadn't made it back to his home before eradicating the persona of Darth Vader forever. She turned toward the main parlor and stopped short, the overturned statue of the Dark Lord lay in the middle of the floor, a testament to the passage of time and the events therein.

She paused before the masked onyx visage, fleeting images flashing before her eyes of lightsaber sparring matches, training aboard the _Executor_, and the feeling that she was closer to something more mysterious and _dangerous_ than anyone had ever been in the Empire. Her master had always reminded her of the sleek black Sherrka cats in the zoo at Imperial Center. They were so deadly that to cross them meant the end, if one were stupid enough to try. But the animal's trainers could lie beside them in the night and never ascertain a scratch - that is unless they came between the Sherrka and her kits.

Shaking off the reverie, she made her way into the large study. She scanned the interior, once the epitome of understated masculine sophistication, now dust-covered and abandoned. Residual signs of the Empire's random vandalism lingered everywhere she looked.

Mara lowered herself onto the lounger across from the large desk. The black leather, once smooth and soft, was now cracked and flaking. It had been her favorite spot in this manor that she would have called home, if she claimed such a place at all. The room conjured memories that flooded her mind and, for once, she surrendered to them...

_She had been fourteen or fifteen years old the first time she'd accompanied Vader to his private residence after investigating reports of Rebel activity in the Outer Rim._

_They were met on the secure landing platform by a footman droid and an unassuming woman about five years older than Mara, with brown braids bound tightly at the crown of her head. The woman curtsied in formal greeting, "Welcome home, my Lord. Your rooms are ready and I have made the preparations as requested for your guest."_

_"Very good," Darth Vader's voice rumbled. He indicated Mara with a slight nod of his head, "This is Mara Jade. See that she is made comfortable and that her needs are attended." With that, he turned and strode into the castle, cape billowing behind him in the wind._

_The woman curtsied again as he passed and then turned to Mara, "Welcome, Miss Jade. My name is Myr and I am his lord's administrative housekeeper." She smiled as she led Mara inside, "Is this your first time on Vjun?"_

_"Yes, it is," Mara answered._

_"There's not much to see, but you've arrived on a good day. The mist is heavy, but there is no rain. Come, I will show you to your chambers and then to the main areas of the manor." Myr smiled again and Mara felt the warmth in the housekeeper's smile._

_"Thank you," Mara followed her, silently admiring the tasteful surroundings._

_Mara's suite consisted of a small sitting area with a desk and holo station, a sleeping chamber and refresher. The large, imposing bed was surprisingly soft and she fell asleep easily that evening only to be awakened in the middle of the night by violent chills and a blinding headache._

_Stumbling down the stairs, she was surprised to find Myr still awake. "Excuse me," Mara apologized. "I was just looking for-"_

_Myr placed her hand on Mara's forehead and frowned, "No need to explain, my lady. It happens to most people their first time on this planet. Something about the wretched air here makes off-worlder's sick almost immediately. Here," she gently guided Mara to the large leather lounger in the study. "Sit down. I'll bring you something to help."_

_Myr brought her a cup of foul-tasting liquid which Mara drank quickly, fighting the urge to be sick at her stomach. Myr waited until Mara stopped gagging to ask, "Would you like me to help you back to your room?"_

_"No, I'll be fine," Mara answered weakly. "I'll just sit here for a minute." _

_Mara must have fallen asleep because she woke suddenly to the towering form of her master standing over her. "I'm sorry. I-" she whispered, her tongue thick and uncooperative, as her whole body shook uncontrollably. He said something she couldn't comprehend through the fog of pain in her head. His dark form loomed closer and the room spun swiftly as he lifted her into his arms._

_Tossing fitfully in her bed, she roused periodically with vague impressions of Myr swabbing her forehead or pressing a cup of foul liquid to her lips. That night, Mara was jolted from feverish sleep by the sound of her own scream, the Emperor's garbled voice penetrating her thoughts like the snap of a neuronic whip. She clamped her hands over her ears as if that would protect her from the disease-inflicted agony of his telepathic communication._

_The door opened abruptly and Vader was at her side. "It hurts," she gasped, pushing sweat-soaked hair away from her face._

_"What does he want you to do?" Vader asked._

_"I don't know," tears streamed down her face. "I can't understand…"_

_"The illness affects your mind," Vader placed a gloved hand on her forehead and Mara felt his carefully controlled power and concentrated effort not to hurt her with a mind probe. The horrific pain stopped as suddenly as it started and the last thing she remembered before succumbing to the peaceful oblivion of a healing trance was her master's voice, "I will take care of it…"_

A gust of wind blew a loose casing against the window and jolted Mara back to the present. She had never asked Vader about that mission when he'd returned. He must have completed Palpatine's command because she hadn't been punished by the Emperor upon her return. Had she thanked him? She couldn't remember.

Mara rubbed her hands across her face, abruptly aware of the cumulative weight of exhaustion. The room had grown dark and she keyed for the lights. Surprisingly, a few of them still worked. Carefully climbing the stairs in the semi-dark, she turned down the corridor to the suite that had been hers.

The lights did not work in her room, but she did not need them. Feeling for the bureau, she reached inside and withdrew several thick blankets. Wrapping herself in their warmth, she collapsed onto the bed and slept a dreamless sleep for the first time in days.

_to be continued..._

_

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_

**A/N from** **Trace**: Myr appears courtesy of **rhonderoo's** story, _Anniversaries of the Heart_. :)


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter 11**

Mara woke the next morning to cloud-diffused light glowing dimly in her bedroom. The muted orange from the opaque windows reminded her of the eerie glow of firelight or the dying sunset on Tatooine. It was strangely beautiful in its understatement. Rubbing grit from her eyes, she sat up, recovering from her brief disorientation before remembering that she had fallen asleep in her old room at Bast Castle.

Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, she went to the small adjoining room outside the sleeping quarters, her eyes taking in the faded elegance. The years may not have been kind to the castle on the surface, but the quality of the contents still looked as if they refused to give up their dignity, even under a blanket of dust and debris. She was marveling at the intricate carving on the large desk by the window, when a light blinking on the holo station caught her eye. Approaching the desk, she entered the security code for access. Strangely, it was a memo instructing the housekeeper, Myr, to place items that would be arriving via droid courier into the safe in Mara's room.

Perplexed, Mara knelt in front of the secured compartment beside the desk. She keyed in one of Vader's old codes to open the safe, hoping it would be successful. It wasn't. She concentrated and tried again. After four failed attempts she began to get exasperated, and then it came to her. She entered the code "Luke", and the compartment opened. She was startled at the contents.

Inside the safe was her old lightsaber - the one that had been confiscated after her return from the aborted mission to kill Luke on Tatooine. She withdrew it and ran her thumb along the ridges and bumps on its cool exterior. She touched her thumb to the activator button, and pushed it hesitantly. The red blade flared to life with a _snap hiss_. She waved it around as a feeling of nostalgia washed over her at the familiarity of its balance and weight.

She had argued with Vader during its construction. In typical teenage fashion, she had wanted a fancier duel-ended saber. He had refused, telling her she could waste time with a more advanced saber after she'd mastered her weak low block and disgraceful over-the-shoulder rear parry. He had never seen the need for a lightsaber that was anything but functional. Mara smiled at the memory. Come to think of it, she still had a disgraceful rear parry.  
But why would Vader have sent her lightsaber here? At least, she assumed he had sent it – who else knew about her chambers here or about Myr, for that matter? She placed the saber on the desk, wondering, _Why would he have bothered to retrieve it at all?_

Reaching into the safe, she removed the remaining item: a small case that looked like it had been to every corner of the galaxy and back. She opened the scratched and dented cover to find a datapad that was almost as scuffed as the case. Lowering herself to the floor, Mara leaned against the wall and keyed to display the information on the datacard. Again, a security code was required. She entered in "Luke" and the data streamed forth on the display.

The file contents appeared to be a series of data and credit transfers between a name that she recognized as a Black Sun operative and part-time bounty hunter, and the code name that Vader had occasionally used when concealing communications from the Emperor, Black King. Mara knew that Vader was a wealthy man and that he had expended a sizable sum of resources in the search for his son. If the staggering amount of credit transfers referenced on the datapad were any indication, the agent and part-time bounty hunter must have been searching for information about Luke.

Scanning the datapad index, she keyed to open a holo file and the face that appeared shocked her to the core. For the first time in over 30 years, Mara gazed at the strange but familiar image of her mother.

She dropped the datapad as if it had delivered an electric shock and scooped it up again immediately, protectively. Inhaling a ragged breath, she brushed the screen with her fingertips. Her mother's face was older than Mara remembered, with streaks of grey throughout her thick, red hair. Her face was leaner and more pale than Mara remembered. Her eyes, green like Mara's, gazed into the distance with an infinitely sad expression.

The room seemed to shift around Mara. She had experienced Force visions of events yet to come, but never of the past. The long-forgotten memories assaulted her in vivid succession. She remembered one of the last nights her mother had tucked her into bed-

_"Why is my name different from yours, Momma?" _

"Well, sweetie, I wasn't always a hyperdrive mechanic," the beautiful woman said with a smile. "And the people who knew me, where I used to live, do not need to know that you are mine. Besides, Jade is a beautiful name, don't you think? It matches your eyes."

"Who are they? Why can't they know that you are my momma?"

Her mother brushed a hand across Mara's small cheek, "I'll explain it when you're older, but…you have a special gift. We both have it. And listen very carefully, if you're ever in trouble, if they ever try to take you away, I want you to think about me just as hard as you can and call me, in your mind. I will hear you. Do you understand?"

Her minds' eye shifted to another time, when her world changed forever. The day the clone troopers had come to her school and gathered all the children for an annual "blood test"-

_Mara had heard about the blood tests that every child took their first year of school, and she certainly wasn't afraid, but the man in white armor had made her friend, Karil, cry. No one hurt her friends and, as payback, she kicked the first trooper who approached her and made quite a scene as he pressed the sharp device to her arm. _

Mara smiled smugly until the commanding officer grew very still at the result of her test and muttered something under his breath to the trooper with the colored shoulder armor. Ten of the men in white ran past her with blasters drawn. She heard the word "Jedi" muffled beneath their helmets.

And suddenly, Mara understood about her "special gift." She'd seen her mother's laser sword one time in a locked cabinet. Jedi were enemies of the State, everyone knew that, and the troops heading toward her home could only mean one thing. Closing her eyes, Mara pictured her mother as hard as she could and screamed in her mind, "Run, Momma! RUN!"

The images shifted again and Mara remembered being led away to a shuttle and the small room where she sat alone on the spaceship. And then the first time she was taken before the Emperor-

_Who are your parents, child?" his voice grated from beneath a black hood. _

"They're dead." Mara faced the old man resolutely, banishing all thoughts of her mother from her mind.

He smiled, a horrible sight, "Do not worry, child. You will forget them soon enough."

Mara brushed unexpected moisture from her palms as a sick feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach. Why would Vader have a holo of her mother? Surely, after all these years, he hadn't hunted her down to kill her. Her mind worked furiously. She squelched the bitter bile rising in her throat. There could be no other explanation. Her face burned in anger and she swatted angrily at tears. With a trembling hand, she keyed for the next data entry.

_**Log 22332:101:90  
Screen: Security Level 0-1  
Black King** _

**Enclosed you will find a lightsaber belonging to your daughter. I cannot divulge details, but I wish to assure you that she is alive. You are being delivered enough unmarked credits and igniots to see that she is freed. **

The agent delivering this message is one of my most trusted and will see to it that the job is done if you wish to use his services. He will not reveal who I am, for fear of death, but rest assured – I know you and what you did in your former life. Our paths have crossed before. The cell she is being held in on the planet Tynnis IV is CVB1145. I cannot reveal any more information without bringing unneeded attention to myself and possibly making her chances for escape a moot point, as she would be killed were it to come to light that I have been in contact with you.

My agent will instruct you further. He has the coordinates of the Imperial prison and a ship to take you there. Anything further is out of my hands. May the Force be with you.

The final transmission originated from Vader's secret agent and was addressed to Myr, the timestamp indicated it was delivered after the Battle of Endor:

_Target located – deceased prior to acquisition. Cause of death - natural causes. _

Mara stared numbly at the datapad. She had never dared to hope that she would find her mother. The holo alone and the memories it evoked were more than she had ever expected to recover of her past. And yet Vader had found her…the only other person in the galaxy that would have cared, back then, whether Mara lived or died…

Mara rose stiffly to her feet as the significance of Vader's correspondence to her mother wrapped itself slowly around her heart.

**

* * *

**

"I'll see your broad swipe and move my gundark to seven," Han Solo said with supreme satisfaction. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his leg over his knee and his arms across his chest.

"That is illegal, Solo." Anakin scowled at his son-in-low across the Dejarik board. "Put it back," he said slowly.

"Oh, no. The gundark can move to seven, ask Lando," Han said, looking back over his shoulder to Lando for support. "Tell him, buddy."

"Um, I don't really remember how the gundark moves, Han, old buddy," Lando said with a nervous laugh. "I think I'll go see how Luke and the ladies are doing in kitchen." He jumped up and left the room.

"See, I thought so," Anakin said as he sat back and crossed his arms. "You are not cheating me, you pirate."

"Where is Threepio?" Han said, feigning hurt. "Princess, bring Goldenrod in here so we can get this straight!"

Leia came into the room with Jacen.

"I'll go get him, Dad!" Jacen said, already running to the back where Threepio was reading a story to Anakin.

"Jacen ," Leia started, but halted as her oldest son bolted from the room.

"Okay, you two, this is getting ridiculous. You are NOT using my droid to break up an argument, and that is that." She put her hands on her hips and looked to the two men.

"Oh, how clever of General Solo…," they heard Threepio say as he followed Jacen down the hall to the dining room where the Dejarik board sat. "Using a gundark for seven is being done by the professionals now. How impressed I am that he is using the standard only set out four months ago," the droid said as he stopped beside the table and looked to Anakin and Han.

"See?" Han said with satisfaction. "A new move." He smiled and leaned forward. "You really should be watching more Dejarik on the holo, old man."

"_Old man…?_" Anakin said as leaned forward over the game table to meet Han half way. "I'll show you _'old man'_," he said as he lowered his voice in a mock menacing tone.

"I can give you a haircut from a mile away, with my eyes closed. And you would only suffer _minor_ burns," he finished menacingly.

"Hah!" Han laughed nervously and sat back. "You're kidding, right?'

"Oh, no. That's fine. I am away from the game for thirty years, and I'm supposed to know when the rules change. I understand completely," Anakin said. The seriousness of his tone belied the mischief twinkling in his eyes. He loved his son-in-law dearly, but every once in awhile he had to remind Han of his ability to make him sweat.

He looked to Threepio. "And you… I built you," he said as he stood up from the table.

"Oh, dear…," the droid said. "I do apologize, Master Anakin, but the rules are the rules."

Anakin just shook his head and laughed, "Well, I am _extremely_ glad that some things never change, Threepio." He smacked the droid on the shoulder, causing Threepio to stumble forward.

"Why, Thank you, Master Ani."

Anakin turned and scowled at the droid and then turned to follow Leia to the kitchen.

"I need an ale."

Leia laughed and put her arm around her father's waist as they walked to the kitchen.

"See? You haven't learned to ignore Han the way I have," she said with a chuckle.

Luke stood leaning against the kitchen counter talking to Lando and Tendra. He looked to his father and raised his eyebrows. "So, who won?"

"That son of a ," Anakin started.

"Well, I did. Of course," Han said as he came in to the kitchen. He flashed Luke, Lando and Tendra a huge grin. "The big guy here is good with a lightsaber, but just like piloting –," he finished with a flourish.

Luke looked to Leia and smothered a warning grin.

"Oh look! What is this?" Leia jumped in. She picked up a package lying on the counter wrapped in plain brown paper.

"This ," Anakin said, as he grabbed the package out of Leia's hands and held it out to Han. "…is a little gift for my favorite son-in-law." He leaned forward and looked at Han challengingly.

"I'm your only son-in-law," Han said as he cautiously took the package from Anakin.

"Thank the gods," Anakin mumbled as he stepped back to lean on the counter beside Luke, who looked at him as if to say – _"What have you done, now?"_

Anakin smirked at his son and winked.

Han opened the package as if it contained a thermal detonator. He tore the paper from the box and lifted the lid. Once inside the box, he pulled away the tissuplast to reveal a statuette of the bounty hunter Boba Fett cast in carbonite. His jaw dropped.

Luke put his hand over his mouth, but was unable to suppress the snigger that escaped. Lando laughed out loud, while Tendra looked on in confusion.

Leia shook her head and ran her fingers between her eyebrows. Moons, the men in her life…

"Why, thank you - DAD," Han said forcefully. He turned the statuette over in his hand and shook his head.

Anakin pushed himself forward from the counter and put his arm around Han, "You know, Solo? I wouldn't trust my daughter with anyone else. Come, let me tell you the secret to making the Kessel run in _10 seconds_," he said with a laugh.

He slid his arm from around his son-in-law and clapped him on the shoulder. Han returned the gesture and the two men returned to the living area to continue drinking and dredging up old pilot stories.

* * *

Later that night, after Anakin had returned to his apartment, the comm sounded and his Noghri bodyguard, Epakch, moved swiftly to answer the call.

"Lord Skywalker," he returned and approached Anakin. "Lady Jade is here to see you."

Anakin stood, his brows drawn together in surprise, "Show her in."

"Immediately, my Lord," Epakch said with a bow as he turned and left the room silently.

Mara followed the Noghri into the common area of the apartment.

Anakin was standing at the viewport and turned to face Mara as she arrived. He studied her for a second and then turned to the Noghri. "You may leave us, Epakch. Thank you."

Mara nodded to the silent Noghri as he left. She looked up at Anakin hesitantly then averted her eyes, "I'm sorry it's so late. Am I disturbing you?"

"No," he motioned jerkily toward one of the chairs. "Please…sit." He regarded her pallor and red-rimmed eyes with trepidation and concern as he sat down across from her and crossed one black-booted leg over his knee.

Mara turned her nervous gaze to the floor and spoke quickly, "Luke probably told you already, but I had to make a quick business trip for my former employer."

Anakin nodded patiently for her to go on.

"It was on…Vjun, of all places," she added and then glanced up at him briefly. "I don't suppose you've ever been back there, have you?"

Anakin raised his eyebrows at the mention of his former home and shook his head, "No, I haven't, actually. Is Bast still standing?" He gave a small smile and pressed his lips together. He already knew the answer. The Empire had gutted anything belonging to the traitor Darth Vader with wild abandon. Luckily, Varykino had remained tucked away secretly.

Mara shifted awkwardly in her chair, unaccustomed to sitting in Anakin's presence, "Yes. It's somewhat dilapidated, but not completely uninhabitable. I didn't plan to go there, but I felt…something…calling me. Luke would say it was the Force, and he'd probably be right, this Jedi business is still new to me, but I remembered…," Mara knew she was rambling, but continued before she lost her nerve. "I remembered the first time you took me there and how I got sick. You covered for me when the Emperor wanted…something, I don't even know what. I don't think I ever thanked you, did I? That was rude of me." She paused, thinking how distantly polite that last statement sounded, and held out the datapad with a trembling hand, "And…I found this."

Anakin reached over and took it from her slowly and scanned the information on the screen. He continued staring at the screen until Mara thought the data might be somehow missing, then finally looked up at Mara and frowned. He said sadly, "I am sorry. I was afraid that she was dead, but I felt the need to try."

She stared at the datapad in his hands, "She was a Jedi, wasn't she?"

"Yes," he answered quietly. "She was one of the many who left the Order at the beginning of the Clone Wars. It took me a while to trace you back to her after your imprisonment -" he paused. "She was the only person I felt I could trust to try to find you…"

"Why didn't you tell me that at the party? All this time I thought-" Mara's voice broke and she swallowed hard.

Anakin placed the datapad on the table beside him, his deep baritone voice taking on a comforting tone, "I did not think that you were ready to hear it, Mara. I am a firm believer in the Force showing us the way. It has now shown you and you are a better person for it, are you not?" he said with a reassuring smile.

He reached over and laid a hand on top of hers. "I would have gone for you myself, but I was incapacitated for a long time after what happened on the Death Star. Luke told me that the physicians gave him little hope for my survival for most of that first year. And, by the time I was able to function independently, the New Republic had already released you from prison."

Anakin leaned forward, his eyes boring into hers, "You were willing to die for me once, Mara. Can you forgive me instead?"

The tears that had been threatening to overwhelm Mara spilled down her face as she nodded, smiling. "I…missed you," she whispered.

Anakin reached and brushed the moisture from her cheek with his thumb and smiled in return, "I missed you, too."

He withdrew his hand and stood up to his full height and drew Mara into an embrace. She sighed and laid her head against his broad chest as she had wanted to do so many times in her youth, when both of their lives had been cast in darkness. Anakin stepped back and held her at arm's length.

"I am very proud of you," he said with a smile. "You will be a fine Jedi."

Mara dried her face with her palms and laughed shortly, "That remains to be seen. I've already told Luke I'm not giving up my blasters."

"There is no reason for you to," Anakin handed her a cup of water from the dispenser and lowered himself again into the chair. "You should make use of all of the Emperor's training."

She settled on the lounger beside him, "Speaking of - you really threw him down a reactor shaft?" She cocked an eyebrow at him and grinned, "I would have _loved_ to have seen that."

"Oh, yes," he said with a smirk. "I cannot tell you how much it hurt. However, were it not for being fried in my very skin, I do believe it would have been the most fun I had ever had. Okay, maybe not the most fun…," he corrected himself.

Mara sputtered in her water glass, looking up at him surprise...and laughed, truly laughed, for the first time in a very long while.

_to be continued..._


	12. Chapter Twelve

**A/N: **Thank you so much for all the kind reviews! We're slow - sorry - but this story will be finished soon. We're guesstimating three more chapters, though the original outline for this fic only had five chapters and it has taken on a life of its own, LOL.

(About the "most fun I've ever had" line from Anakin - it's not really an inside joke, per se, but rhonderoo writes Anakin/Padme romance fics primarily, so... ;))

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**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Anakin rubbed his shoulder and winced. He was getting too old for this. As much as it pained him to admit to himself, there were times when he thought putting the lightsaber aside for good might not be a bad idea. Then the unrealistic male pride kicked in and he knew the day he laid the lightsaber down, he might as well die.

"Is something wrong?" Mara asked, concern wrinkling her brow. She walked over to where her former master stood as he was turning to face her.

"Not at all," he replied defensively.

Mara eyed him carefully then stepped back into a ready stance, "Remember, this was _your_ idea."

"The only way to properly test a lightsaber is to use it," he retorted. "And you should know me better than to think I would allow my grandchildren to use a faulty saber."

"Now," he brandished his blue blade in front of her with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "I remember you having a rather disgraceful rear parry."

Mara grinned, falling comfortably into familiar sparring patterns as her red blade met his in a series of rapid blows.

* * *

The hum of lightsabers was a familiar sound in the Jedi temple and Luke barely noticed it as he made his way to the chamber he loosely called his office. It was a comfortable space with worn loungers and an ornate desk that had been a gift from Leia. Holos, gifts, and mementos adorned the spaces on the walls not covered with shelves of reference materials.

Kam, Tionne, Corran and he were in the middle of a discussion about the plans for Luke's honeymoon absence when his youngest nephew burst into the room, "Uncle Luke! Grandfather and Mara are fighting!"

He had an open door policy with his students and was therefore not surprised by Anakin's appearance. This however, seemed to warrant a small sense of panic.

He spun around, _"What!"_ He looked down at his nephew, whose eyes were wide with fear.

Anakin grabbed his hand, pulling him out the door, "Come quick!"

"You guys had better come along," he said as he slowly looked to the other three Jedi Masters. Unease was snaking its way up his spine, and he found himself hoping fervently that he didn't have to break up the two most important people in his life. Not to mention the fact that he wanted his wife with all of her limbs. He shuddered and walked faster as the others quickened their pace to keep up with him.

The clash of sabers grew louder as they arrived at one of the practice rooms where a small crowd had gathered. Jacen and Jaina stood in the doorway, mouths hanging open in unabashed awe of the graceful dance that both combatants exhibited as they twisted and parried in wide elegant arcs and turns.

Luke gaped at the sight of his father and fiancé engaged in the spirited sparring match, their faces alternately lit with glowing red and blue. Were he not utterly exasperated with this turn of events, he would have admired his father's agility and the fact that Mara seemed to be holding her own against him…unless he was just trying to wear her down, in which case he hadn't pulled anything off the walls yet, so that was a good sign.

Detaching his own lightsaber from his belt, Luke stormed across the training mat and inserted himself into the duel, blocking Anakin's blade with his own which forced Mara to fall forward into a somersault to keep from decapitating Luke.

All three jumped back and exclaimed in unison, "What the hell are you _doing?_"

Luke glared at them, "I am ending this fight once and for all!"

Anakin started, "Luke-"

"You!" he turned to his father, green blade humming. "You may not approve of Mara, but I will thank you _not_ to kill my wife."

Mara took a step toward him, "Luke-"

"And you!" he rounded on her. "You may not care for my father, but I would appreciate it if you would at least respect his place in this family."

Anakin and Mara looked at each other and then back at him, fighting laughter.

In one swift move, Anakin jerked the lightsaber from Luke's grasp with the Force while Mara stepped forward, pulled Luke close and clamped her hand over his mouth. "We're not fighting," she assured him with exaggerated calm. He narrowed his eyes skeptically. "Just testing my old lightsaber," she lowered her hand from his mouth. "Promise."

"Your old lightsaber?" Luke asked, a puzzled frown deepening his brow. He looked to Corran, Kam and Tionne, who had been joined by a cautious trio of young Solos.

She pulled away and held the saber up to him, "It's the one I made when I was a teenager. I found it at Bast Castle and it's too light for me now, so I thought I'd give it to the kids for practice."

"What's Bast Castle?"

"My former home," Anakin cocked his brow at Luke. "Remember? I told you about it once."

Mara continued, "Myr put this in my room along with a datapad with information about my mother, and-"

"Who's Myr?" Luke interrupted with growing confusion. "Wait a minute. Did you say your _mother?_ And…when did you get back, anyway?"

"Last night. It was late and," she glanced up at Anakin, "we needed to talk."

Anakin handed her Luke's lightsaber hilt, "Nice low block, by the way."

"Thank you," she smiled at him before passing the saber to Luke. "Why don't we talk about it over lunch? I'm starving."

"All right…" Luke turned to Anakin.

"You two go ahead. I promised to show my grandchildren some of the secret passages around here….and the best places to hide," he said as he winked at the three confounded Jedi Masters who looked at each other and sighed in resignation - as if those three children needed _more_ ways to get into trouble.

* * *

The spacious balcony of Luke's apartment overlooked a green habitat adjacent to his building and, on a day like today, the view from above was spectacular. Flashes of color peppered the greenery as various exotic birds and tree-dwelling creatures flitted through and around leafy branches.

A gentle breeze ruffled Luke's hair as he stared down at the old datapad. "I'm sorry about your mother," he offered carefully.

"It's all right," she reassured. "By that account, she died peacefully. And I have a few memories…hopefully more will re-surface. It's enough for now."

He had listened as Mara recounted the events of her trip to Vjun and subsequent visit with Anakin, and now regarded her quietly. "I've been thinking. Remember when you said it was a mistake? Your apprenticeship to my father, I mean."

Mara nodded. So much had changed since then.

"I don't think it was," he continued. "There was a reason that he was able to turn back from the dark side, some root of good that he never lost. Maybe something about caring for you helped him to hang on to that."

She considered the idea, "Perhaps."

"And then on Nirauan, when I asked you if there had possibly been some role model in your past? Maybe your feelings for Father inadvertently kept you from turning completely to the dark side as well."

Mara fingered the edge of her plate, "I hadn't thought of it like that, but it makes sense."

They sat for a while in companionable silence, lost in their thoughts and soaking up the afternoon sunshine. Luke finally pushed the datapad across the table to Mara, "What was her name?"

Closing down the holo and placing the datapad in her jacket pocket, she answered softly, "Miriam."

"It's beautiful," Luke squeezed her hand. "If we have a daughter-"

Mara jerked in surprise and tossed a napkin in his direction, "Cool the vaporator, farmboy. Let's at least get married before we start populating the academy with Skycrawlers."

"Yeah, about that…" Luke leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms expectantly.

"I don't know," she stood, approaching him amiably. "Considering that I blew up my ship, do you think we can hitch a ride with someone to Naboo?"

He startled, a slow smile spreading across his face, "Really?"

Mara ran her fingers affectionately through his hair, "Really. If nothing else, I need to pay my respects to the first Mrs. Skywalker."

Luke pulled her close as his gaze drifted to her hips, just centimeters from his face, and did a double take. The lightsaber hanging from her belt was not the one that she had made at the academy, but instead, the one he had given her after Wayland. She had accepted it reluctantly back then but refused to use it, claiming it was a family heirloom.

"Dusting off old equipment?" he asked knowingly, finally understanding her true reasons for not carrying his father's old saber all these years.

Mara glanced down at her waist. "It has a better balance than mine," she fingered the smooth silver hilt, "and it means a lot to me."

Luke stood and wrapped his arms around her, "And that, my future Mrs. Skywalker, means the whole galaxy to me."

_to be continued…_


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, folks. Please welcome our guest collaborative author for this chapter, Qui-Gon Tim. **

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**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Striding into the _Millennium Falcon's_ cabin, Han plopped into a chair and announced, "Two more hours until we dock with the _Errant Venture_, and then on to Naboo."

"Good," Mara commented dryly. "No offense, but next time we hitch a ride, it'll be from someone with more passenger space." Sitting on the deck, she pulled her knees up abruptly to avoid getting trampled by the twins who were chasing each other through the cabin. "And tell me again why we all have to rendezvous on Terrik's ship?"

Leia slid into the seat next to Luke and her father at the dejarik table, "Well, rumor has it that there's a stag party waiting for Luke. Though I am, of course, sworn to secrecy about it - and the plans that Mirax devised for Mara."

Han flashed a grin, "That should be good. I'd like to see Mara Jade with a few drinks in her."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Anakin commented from the game, glancing up as all eyes in the room turned toward him. "It can be...scary."

Mara shot him a look.

"_Impressive_," he nodded to her in a conciliatory tone, "but scary."

"Very funny," she quipped. "If you're referring to the little incident on Rydonni Prime, you weren't there when that fool and his gang picked that fight. They had it coming."

"I'm sure they did," Anakin answered smoothly, keeping his gaze fixed on the game. "I had just never seen that _particular_ use of a lightsaber before."

Seven sets of eyes shifted to Mara, who was adjusting the harness on her wrist blaster. "I could tell them what happens when _you_ drink," she remarked nonchalantly.

Anakin crossed his arms over his chest, "That was an isolated incident."

"Fortunately," she smirked. "I'd never seen that _particular_ use for a cybertronic hand before. Did you ever find that glove, by the way? Or your cape? Considering-"

"All right!" he interrupted, suddenly aware of the incredulous expressions on the faces of his children.

He stood and scooped up the younger Anakin by his middle and threw him over his shoulder as he rushed past him to get away from his older siblings. "Come with me, you little Devoronian," he said to his grandson and then proceeded to tickle the child into submission, emitting gales of laughter from the boy. He made his way to the back of the cabin to the sleeping rooms, ducking through the entry ways so as not to hit their heads.

Leia shook her head. "He is going to spoil that child rotten. Not to mention, I will never get him to calm down and get to sleep for before the party starts and Threepio can't handle them awake." She got up and followed her father to the back, "Dad! Dad! Wait! Don't let him have any juice! Just give him water. He'll be up all night!" Her voice faded as she got to the back.

Mara looked over to see Luke chuckling silently. "What are you laughing at? He's not the one who has to make sure those kids are asleep before he goes to the party."

"Oh, it's just funny, that's all," Luke said with a chuckle. "Those kids are his weakness, they have him wrapped around their little fingers and they know it. They've been begging for him to stay with them while the party goes on, and he had almost agreed until I got involved. All Jaina had to do was conjure up some tears, and hooo boy…" Luke said as he rolled his eyes.

Both Mara and Luke felt Han looking at them and turned in his direction. He was looking at them with a mischievous grin, reveling in whatever he was thinking.

"What, Solo?" Mara demanded, turning to face him fully.

"Oh, I was just thinking…in a couple of years mine will be old enough that they'll be more involved in their studies and won't have as much time to be spoiled, but you guys…you should have one ripe about that time. I can just see it now…," Han laughed.

"What do you mean?" Luke frowned.

"Oh, yours will be a _Skywalker_. You know, carrying on the name and all that. I can't wait, that's all," he shrugged nonchalantly, and left to join his wife and father-in-law, his mischievous whistling carrying down the hallway.

* * *

After dinner, the family sat around the table making plans for meeting and other party details. Han entered the room, "All right, we're here. Who is helping me with docking?"

Everyone looked up. "Don't you all go volunteering at once," he said with disgust. "Come on, old man, I'll teach you how to pilot a freighter." He looked down at his father-in-law, and was met with an all too familiar glare. "Uh, yeah….," he said as Anakin got up and stood to his full height. Han smiled up at him, "Or you could…teach…me. If you...wanted…to."

"After you," Anakin said, as he held his arm out to motion Han toward the cockpit. He clapped Han on the back as they made their way to the cockpit. Suddenly, he stopped short, almost causing Han to trip.

"What in Corellian stars and hells is _that?_"

Back in the cabin, Mara turned to Luke, "You didn't warn him, did you?"

"About what?"

"Terrik's Star Destroyer."

"What about it?" Luke shrugged.

Anakin's voice carried down the corridor, "It's…_red!_"

Mara pulled her fiancé from his seat, laughing, "Come on. This should be good."

* * *

The turbolift stopped somewhat abruptly at the _Errant Venture's_ Diamond Level, forcing the Skywalker and Solo families to brace themselves to keep from tumbling to the floor.

"I guess Booster is still trying to work all of the bugs out of this heap," Han said as the doors reluctantly opened with a resounding _squeak._

Booster Terrik's massive frame filled the entirety of the open door frame before them. "With you here, Solo, I'm not as concerned about the _bugs_ as I am the stock of liquor aboard my ship," he said gruffly upon overhearing Han's comment.

His expression softened considerably, or at least as much as it probably could, as he addressed the rest of the wedding party. "Ladies, Mirax and Iella are waiting for you up in the casino bar. It's yours for the evening. Gentlemen- and I'm not including Solo when I say that- Corran and Lando have everything set up in the Smuggler's Lounge. And I have a couple of luxury suites ready for the droids and kids and for the rest of you sorry lot to crash in when the party ends."

As everyone headed to their designated areas for the evening's festivities, Booster fell into step beside Luke and Anakin as they made their way to the Smuggler's Lounge.

"I don't think we've met before," the old pirate said, holding his hand out to Anakin.

"Booster, meet Master Spicewood, a dear old friend of mine." Luke said.

Terrik firmly shook hands with 'Master Spicewood'. "Welcome aboard the _Errant Venture._ Let me know if you'd like a tour. Despite what Solo says about her, she's quite a piece of work."

Anakin raised his brows and smiled skeptically at Booster. "Oh, I bet she is. But I am well acquainted with _Imperator_-class Star Destroyers, and she seems very…much… a piece of work."

"So, I take it you were in the Imperial Navy?" Booster replied.

"I guess you could say that." Anakin said with a chuckle.

* * *

The sound of boisterous laughter wafted out of the Smuggler's Lounge on the entertainment level of the _Errant Venture._ Luke felt the apprehension creeping up on him even now. Stars, there was no telling what Han and Lando had planned for this evening. He could also feel the fact that his father had just gone absolutely blank in the Force. Nothing. Nada.

That was never good. Something was up…and even his father knew about it. He knew his father was making sure that Luke didn't have the chance to figure it out and protest. Another wave of trepidation flittered over him as they walked up to the cantina entrance.

"What's the matter? You feel like you're a little nervous," Anakin said as he clapped Luke on the back. He grinned mischievously and held his arm out for Luke to enter first.

* * *

Hours later, it wasn't the music blaring from the jukebox, nor was it the scantily-clad Twi'lek dancer who was spinning right in front of him that brought Luke back to a state of confused semi-consciousness, it was the cold cocktail table beneath his cheek and the feel of someone shaking him in a rather ungentle manner. He shot straight up and declared, "NO! TRY NOT! DO OR DO NOT! THERE IS NO TRY!"

Anakin looked taken aback at his son's choice of words and frowned across the room to the bar at his son-in-law. "That's it Solo, no more. You buy him one more damned drink and I'll put you _back_ in carbonite!" he said loudly to Han. He continued to try to wake Luke, who had slumped back down after the Yoda-like outburst. He wasn't budging.

Chewbacca came over and looked down at the fallen Jedi and chuckled. He added another comment in Anakin's favor and the Wookiee and the Jedi exchanged a smirk.

Han turned on his stool and looked perplexed. "What do you mean by 'Or he'll make fun of the way I run again?' What's wrong with the way I run?"

Anakin and Chewbacca laughed and shook their heads. "Come on Luke, you aren't going to last the night at this rate," Anakin looked down at his son and frowned. He shook him again. "Come on, that's it." Luke finally raised his head.

"I'm not sleeping. I'm just resting my eyes," he said as he leaned back in the chair and looked up at the still dancing Twi'lek, his eyes a little bleary.

"You do realize your future wife is down in the casino bar, drinking you under the table, right?" Anakin raised his brows at his son.

"No, I did not… _hic_," Luke slurred. "I didn't…_hic_…realize it was a…_hic_…contest."

"Oh, great. You inherited the lovely and annoying habit of hiccupping when you drink from your mother," Anakin shook his head in disgust and got up to get another drink from the bar.

As Anakin was leaving, Lando joined in the fray and moved his chair beside Luke's, commandeering the dance Han had purchased for the swaying, glassy-eyed Jedi. Solo shot him a look. "And just what do you think _you're_ doing?" he shouted over the din of music and conversations.

Calrissian shrugged and gave his old friend one of his trademark smiles. "It'd be a shame to let a dance like this go to waste. He's not going to remember it. One of us might as well enjoy it!"

"LUMINOUS BEINGS WE ARE!" Luke eyes glassed over and he shouted in a funny voice, before passing out again. His face hit the table with a distinct _slap._ Luckily, the three Vjun Vindicators he had thirstily downed banished any chance that he'd feel the pain from the impact.

"Oh my gods in the Alderaanian heavens," Anakin shook his head and said with a heavy sigh as he walked back to join them. "If he doesn't stop quoting that green…_Jedi Master_…, I'm going to have to use a _real_ Jedi mind trick on him." He looked around as if he expected Yoda to be listening.

Han laughed. _Old habits must die hard._ "Is that why he keeps talking that way?"

"Well, either he's channeling Master Yoda through the Force, or the kid just cannot hold his liquor." Anakin shot back. "Not a bad impression, though. I always wondered what Yoda would sound like if he ever got into a case of Whyren's Reserve."

"Speaking of Whyren's, you seem to be holding yours pretty well tonight, old man," Han said as put his arm around his father-in-law.

"Luke never had the pleasure of bar hopping anywhere from ten to twenty bars in one night with Obi-Wan Kenobi. You learn to hold your liquor well with him around…because you are going to be hauling his Jedi butt home on your back," Anakin leaned close to Han and laughed. He swallowed the rest of his drink

Wes Jansen staggered over from the bar and plopped down in the chair next to Anakin. He downed a shot of blue liquor and smacked the empty glass down on the table. "I think… Skywalker… is… drunk." Before the last word made it completely out of his mouth, he was already well on his way to being sprawled out on the floor.

Wedge came over to see if he could lift his fallen wingmate, giving up when he realized he had no chance of maneuvering Wes's dead weight alone.

"Great shot, Jansen," he said with a smile as Tyco and Hobbie helped him move Wes to a booth nearby.

Corran placed Jansen's flight helmet on his head backwards to drown out the snoring before taking a seat next to Anakin and the now unconscious Luke. "I just got a comm from Mirax. It seems the bride-to-be isn't in much better shape."

"Is she at least conscious?" Anakin asked. His eyes, though not nearly as glassy as Luke's, were bloodshot, but he was still going strong.

"Yeah, she's awake."

"She isn't impersonating Imperial officers is she?" Anakin asked.

"How'd you know that? Mirax said she's not only doing character impressions, but she's even imitating their deaths."

Anakin sighed. "How far up the chain of command has she made it?"

"Well…I'm not sure, but Mirax said Mara just told the bartender that she 'found his lack of faith disturbing'," Corran laughed.

Anakin looked offended. "..lack of…._disturbing? What?_" he choked out.

"I foresee two Jedi in healing trances for the next day or so. We'll be hard-pressed to have them completely sober before the wedding," Corran said with a sigh.

Luke suddenly raised his head and looked at his father with half-closed eyes. "NEVER.. _hic_… throw your lightsaber away. _Especially_ when going to see the Emperor. Why didn't Yoda teach me _that?_ It would have been very …_hic_…_important information_!"

Anakin looked over at his son, and smiled obligingly. "Yes it would have been, son. If it makes you feel any better, I learned that lesson the hard way, too. Are you going to be all right?"

Luke smacked his lips with a look of disgust. "When did I kiss a Bantha?"

"Don't worry. It was only an Askajani dancer. That was fourteen hours and two levels ago," Corran said with mock seriousness.

"Where are we?" Luke asked with hesitation.

Lando slapped Luke on the back, "Welcome to Black level. I think the name of _this_ bar is _The Naughty Mistryl_."

Luke looked worried at the thought of fourteen lost hours. "_This_ bar? Just how many bars have we been to?"

Han pulled up a chair. "I lost count at twenty, and that was back on Blue level. And don't even ask me to tally your drink total. We'd need Goldenrod for that. Oh, and you've made lots of new friends. I think the guest list for your wedding has grown by a couple of hundred." He glanced over at his father-in-law, "Oh, and what's with this 'Jedi business. Go back to your drinks'?"

Anakin laughed. It wasn't the first time someone had made fun of him for that.

Luke shifted uncomfortably in his chair and ran his hand down to his lightsaber. "Uh… no one lost any arms in any of those bars, did they?"

Anakin smiled and tousled his son's hair, "I was wrong. I can tell you _have_ been out drinking with Obi-Wan before."

* * *

The men staggered their way up to the casino bar on the Diamond level of the _Errant Venture's_ entertainment complex, losing Lando and half of Rogue Squadron somewhere along the way.

"Where's Artoo? I've lost Artoo," Luke kept asking Chewbacca, who was holding him upright. "Artoooooooooooo!" The Wookiee shook his head and groaned at the drunken Jedi as they made their way into the bar.

"Artoo would've stopped you fifteen drinks ago," Anakin said as he followed the group in the bar. "I programmed him to _tell me_ when to say 'when'. He's also useful if you need someone to drive you home."

On unsteady legs, Leia stepped in front of her father as he entered the bar. She was wearing one of the bar's linen tablecloths around her neck like a cape. She peered up at Anakin and declared, "Don't act so _surprised_, Your Highness. You weren't on any …_hic_…_mercy_ mission…"

Then she fell down.

Anakin looked down at his daughter, who was lying on the floor giggling uncontrollably, "You are so grounded."

Han scooped up his wife and headed towards the exit. "I'd better get her to bed before she starts Force-choking people."

Leia opened her eyes and gazed up at her husband as he carried her out the door. "Bed? Oh wait! Mara told me about some Force-maneuvers that can…" The door shut behind them as they headed towards their suite.

Anakin stood with his mouth hanging open at his daughter's exiting words. "I did not need to hear _that_," he shook his head and mumbled to himself.

Luke steadied himself against the wall and took a deep breath, "Come on. Let's find Mara and the rest of the ladies."

Luke, Anakin, and Corran didn't have to go far to find the others. They rounded the corner to the seating area to find they had to step over a large, muscular, half-naked Falleen male lying in a crumpled pile of what appeared to be Jedi robes.

The bride-to-be wasn't far. Seated in a high-backed chair that had been placed in the middle of a cantina table, Mara had one of the bar's elegant ebony curtains draped over her head and shoulders like a cloak, her arms positioned on the arm rests in an all-too-familiar pose.

"Welcome, Skywalker," she croaked in a wretched voice. "You have arrived…just as I have forseen."

She lifted a cocktail glass and waved it at Luke, "You...want..._this?_"

Anakin stood to his full height and pointed a commanding finger at his future daughter-in-law, "Oh no you don't, young lady. Get down from there right now."

"I don't think she…_hic_…can," Luke slurred from his position propped against the wall.

Corran threw his arms around Mirax and kissed her, "What's with the Falleen?"

Iella interjected, "Tendra and I thought it would fun to surprise Mara with a stripper. All I can really remember is him showing up dressed as a Jedi. He started dancing and moved really close to Mara and ran his hands through her hair and down her back. Then she snapped-kicked him in the head and said something like 'Pheromone _this_!' I think he'll be expecting a big tip when he finally wakes up."

Anakin and Chewbacca grabbed the sides of Mara's chair, lifted it off the table and set it on the floor. It didn't interrupt Mara's impersonation of the late Emperor, though.

"I have felt a great disturbance in the Force… blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Blast, didn't he _ever_ shut up? I've never known anyone who liked to hear himself talk as much as that old bag of bones!" She leaned to Anakin conspiratorially and looked up, "How did you manage to keep from killing him all those years?"

"I was blessed with a knack for fixing things…like mute buttons," he looked around, grateful that no one aside from himself and Chewbacca had heard her comment. "Now, we should get you to bed before you start your impersonations of New Republic officials."

Mara smiled and started combing her hair over to one side with her hand. When she was done assembling the ridiculous-looking hairstyle, she looked at Anakin and Chewie and grinned, "Okay. Who am I? "

Chewbacca snickered and let out a string of growls.

"Yeah, I get it," Anakin replied. "It's a shame General Madine doesn't seem to comprehend just how awful his hair looks. Maybe we should try a subtle Force-suggestion and get him to go see a hairstylist."

Mara stood up. Her knees immediately buckled, forcing Anakin and Chewie to catch her under her arms.

"Let's get the two lovebirds to bed," Anakin said, glancing around to find Luke curled up in a booth, fast asleep.

"Bed?" Mara shouted. "But the party's just getting started!" She wiggled free of the supporting handholds, took two steps, and passed out on floor.

Anakin looked down at her and laughed. He leaned over and nudged Chewbacca, "This party's _over_."

_to be continued…_


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N: Here it is folks, the final chapter. We want to sincerely thank everyone who has left such kind feedback! We have loved writing this story, which has been a labor of love nine months in the making. Thank you all and MTFBWY!**

**Roo and Trace**

* * *

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

The group assembled in the docking bay of the _Errant Venture_ was a sorry sight indeed, Anakin mused.

The bride and groom-to-be stumbled off the lift, each sporting darkened lenses over their eyes. Mara passed him and grumbled, "Don't look at me like that."

"I'm not looking at you," he answered lightly, stifling a grin.

She stopped, swayed slightly, and rested her head against a cool ledge at his elbow, "I _feel_ your _look._

Anakin smiled and glanced innocently down at Luke, "She seems to be all right."

Luke grunted an incoherent response and leaned against the wall rubbing his temples.

Apart from the occasional groans and impromptu snores, the bay was surprisingly quiet as wedding party members staggered aboard shuttles or their respective ships for transport down to Naboo.

Just days earlier, Leia had hired wedding consultants to supplement the staff at Varikyno and made arrangements for most of their friends to have a place to sleep at the lake house or a nearby inn.

She wasn't in much better shape than Mara, but managed to see that everyone reached their assigned rooms before collapsing on the bed in her suite with Han.

* * *

Mara did not emerge from her room until the next morning and found a refreshed-looking Leia discussing wedding arrangements with the catering staff. Her future sister-in-law promptly waved her away, "Shoo! Go find something relaxing to do and enjoy your last day of freedom." 

Having been informed that she wasn't allowed to see Luke until the ceremony, Mara wandered over the grounds, pausing occasionally to admire the peaceful surroundings.

Walking along the perimeter of the lake, she found Anakin seated on a hillside overlooking the water. His hood was up and the breeze blew the sides out gently. She could tell he was either deep in thought, or meditating.

She climbed the gentle slope, "May I join you?"

Anakin waved her forward and she settled on the grass beside him, "It's beautiful here." He nodded, the sleeves of his cloak fluttering in the breeze. "I saw the garden," she started hesitantly, "your wife's garden…and the holos. She was lovely."

A gentle smile crinkled the fine lines around his eyes, "Yes, she was." The sound of lake water slapping against the shore drifted toward them. "This is where she wanted to have our children..."

His voice trailed off and Mara lowered her eyes in understanding. They sat in silence broken occasionally by the sound of a native bird or forest creature. Mara still knew very little about Padmé, but the though of a woman so young losing both her husband and children at the same time…

Though they were worlds and a lifetime away from the horror of Palpatine's control, she felt the familiar cloud of darkness descending.

"Don't, Mara," Anakin's voice was gentle but firm. "Don't let even the memory of him have control over any part of you. He does not deserve it. It is in the past. You have to let it go."

"How do you do it?" she squinted up at him in the sunshine. "How do you keep the pain - the anger from coming back?"

He looked thoughtful, "Meditate. Draw on the Force. And when that doesn't work, sparring droids are nice to have around. The problem there is that it always buys me a comm from one of my Force sensitive children."

"Sounds like Luke."

Anakin smiled, "You know him well." He turned toward her, "Speaking of Luke, he never told me how the two of you met."

Mara pursed her lips remembering the bitter young woman she had been in what seemed like a different life. "I wanted to kill him."

Anakin raised his eyebrows then turned back to squint toward the water, "And he still has three natural limbs? I would have thought that I had trained you better."

Mara laughed, "I'm going to tell him you said that! And, for the _record_, I never actually tried to kill him." She looked down, flicking a multi-legged insect off her boot, "And it was only because I thought you were dead. Otherwise, I would have tried to kill you."

Anakin gazed out over the water, "I probably would have let you...in the beginning at least."

Mara studied him carefully. He wasn't exaggerating. She took a breath to lighten the mood, "But then I still would have had to deal with Luke, so..."

"So if you can't kill him, marry him?" he continued.

She grinned, "Something like that."

"Interesting strategy," he nodded, smiling again. Glancing over her shoulder, he indicated Leia standing at the top of the hill, pointing to her chrono. "I think you are being summoned."

Mara waved to Leia, "I guess it's about that time."

He rose and offered her his hand. She took it, brushing grass from her pants as she stood. They walked a few paces up the hill before Mara paused, "Anakin?"

He turned and she shifted her weight to look up at him. "The first dance at the reception is supposed to be for the bride and her father. We had planned to skip it, but I was wondering if you would consider…"

Anakin smiled, resting his hand on her shoulder warmly, "I would be honored."

* * *

Luke stood in front of the mirror adjusting his collar while his nephews sat on the bed behind him swinging their legs. His father and Han stood off to the side, finding the scene very humorous, but fighting the effort to laugh. 

"Are you gonna have to kiss her?" Jacen asked.

"Yes," Luke grinned. "I believe that _is_ part of the ceremony."

Jacen and his brother looked at each other, crinkling their noses, "Ewww!"

Luke shot a sideways glance at Han and his father, already dressed in their formal wedding attire.

A knock sounded at the door. "Everybody decent?" Leia called.

"Come in!" shouted Han.

Leia entered and turned to motion her daughter inside.

At the sight of his granddaughter, something caught in Anakin's throat. She stood beaming from ear to ear, with the traditional makeup of Naboo royalty on her small face.

"I wasn't sure if I did it the way it is supposed to be done, Father," Leia said hesitantly. "But I went by the pictures of Mother, and I think I got it right."

Anakin moved to kneel in front of Jaina, his face a mixture of longing and pride. He took a deep breath and spoke, "It's perfect. The first time I saw your grandmother in this make-up, I was little younger than you are now. She stole my heart even at nine and I knew I would marry her. She would be delighted that you are honoring her, sweetheart."

Anakin rubbed Jaina's arms and smiled up at Leia. "Thank you," his voice caught briefly in his throat. "Your mother would be so proud."

* * *

After they had gone, Luke was standing by the bed trying to decide whether or not to wear his lightsaber, when a familiar pair of arms circled his waist from behind. 

"Hey!" he turned in Mara's embrace. "I'm not supposed to see you before the wedding."

Mara rolled her eyes. "Oh please. As if you haven't already seen me-"

"Shh!" Luke covered her mouth, grinning, "Everyone is in the next room…"

His voice trailed off and he held her at arm's length. He had never seen her look more elegant. The dropped neckline of her flowing ivory gown accented the color of her hair and perfectly framed loose curls hanging from a small, flowered headpiece.

Gently, he touched one of the fragrant flowers near her temple then ran his fingers slowly along her smooth cheek, brushing his thumb lightly over her lips. Trailing his hand slowly along the nape of her neck, he slipped it behind her shoulders and pulled her against his chest.

The sounds of wedding preparations reached a level of organized chaos outside the window. "Are you nervous?" he asked quietly.

"Are you kidding?" she grinned against his shoulder. "After all we've been through to get here? As long as there aren't any crazy dark Jedi or clones-"

"- I think we can handle it," Luke agreed.

Mara gazed out the window to the terrace below where their family and closest friends were starting to gather. "Do we _have_ to go out there?"

Luke caressed the back of her neck, fingering the necklace he had given her that day that seemed like years ago, "And this is just the private ceremony. We still have the state affair back on Coruscant to look forward to."

She groaned, wilting somewhat in his arms. Luke turned her face up to his, adopting his best Jedi Master tone, "You must learn tolerance. And patience and resilience - all necessary qualities for a Jedi."

Mara pulled away, planting her hands firmly against his chest. "Is that so?" she challenged. Luke knew that smirk and nodded innocently.

"Well, _Master Jedi,_" the window shutters slammed shut with a flick of her finger. "As long as we're giving lessons, you could stand to learn a few things yourself. Like the first rule of espionage."

Luke suddenly found himself flat on the bed with a set of green eyes gleaming over slender fingers pressed against his lips. "Shhhhh…." she whispered, sliding her fingers tenderly across his mouth and replacing them with her lips.

* * *

The terrace of the lake house was dotted with a sea of tea lamps that sat centered in the middle of each table. Guests had finished dinner and were mingling, looking over the balustrade at the lake, or dancing. 

Other than the fact that the bride and groom had arrived late, for reasons they did not explain, the Jedi bonding ceremony had proceeded smoothly under Kam's inspired guidance.

Anakin had laughed at Mara's irreverent humor throughout their dance and the obligatory quip about carbonite during Han's toast and now stood now by the large tree, his mind light years away. His own wedding had been here. He and Padmé had stood in the very spot he was standing in and taken their vows. Unlike tonight's festivities, they were alone with only their droids to witness. He thought with a pang of regret how it could have all been so different and then shook it off. He could hear the voice of Obi-Wan drifting to his ears, telling him to move on and let it go, followed by a familiar chuckle.

There were times when he could not wait to join them in the Force. Sometimes he longed for Padmé's embrace and the friendship of Obi-Wan so much, he could feel it in his bones. But he was content to keep waiting and enjoying his family until that time came. They would have eternity.

He gazed across the crowd of smiling faces and could not help but think that the Force _did_ guide you, if only you let it. He was so proud of his children and everything they had accomplished. His grandchildren were a blessing beyond his fondest imagination. He was interrupted from his reverie by a hand tugging at his sleeve.

"Grandpa, will you dance with me?"

He smiled down at Jaina and said, "I have been waiting all night for you to ask."

He took her hand and led her to the open dance area.

* * *

The twilight had turned the sky purple and orange with the last bits of daylight lingering just enough to lend a slight magical feeling to the reception. The faerie lights lit the balcony with a magical air, and the music wove around the guests in lilting and dreamlike melodies. Luke could swear he heard the laughter from the mythical Naboo water sprites as he watched the water dance with the last of the light from the balcony. 

He was so happy he wanted this moment to last forever. His wife laughed with Han in the corner, her voice carrying over the waves of the lake like the sound of bells, clear and sweet. He turned back toward the party and leaned back on his elbows against the balcony. Leia walked up to stand beside her brother, slipping her arm through his and sipping from her champagne.

"Would you look at that? I think someone will have Father wrapped around her finger for the rest of his life."

Luke smiled and turned to his sister. "Don't worry. I think you still the have the tightest hold," he winked.

"Like you don't," she said, elbowing him lightly.

"You're right. I see him sometimes though, and I know he's thinking about Mother and Obi-Wan…and Qui-Gon and Grandmother. He won't be here with us forever," Luke said soberly.

"Oh, stop it. I think he'll be here a while longer. He's too stubborn to go out to early. Especially with the prospect of another grandchild in the future," Leia smirked.

Luke flushed and quickly changed the subject. "Look at that," he said motioning to Jaina and Anakin. "Have you ever seen anything so sweet?"

Anakin danced with Jaina's feet on top of his boots as he held her hands out to the side. She giggled uncontrollably as he moved them back and forth and tilted her head back to look into his face, her eyes a mixture of glee and unrestrained happiness.

Leia smiled, a bittersweet smile when she thought of the circumstances had kept the two of them from being able to dance together like that. She felt a pang of heartache and shook Luke's arm as she detached hers to move away. She intended to make up for it tonight, with the next song. Luke smiled as she went to catch their father when the music ended.

He watched as his sister moved into their father's embrace, and as Anakin brought his arm protectively around Leia's back and his chin to rest atop her head. He had to swallow the lump that moved up into his throat at the sight of the two them, so alike, finally accepting each other unconditionally. He blinked a tear away as he saw his sister do the same as their father gathered her closer. Yes, tonight was definitely the happiest night of his life.

Mara appeared beside him, "If you glow any brighter, Skywalker, you're going to alter the tides or offset some kind of lunar balance."

Luke wrapped his arm around her waist, smiling. "And you're practically an independent light source yourself, _Mrs._ Skywalker."

Guiding her onto the terrace, he led her into the swelling music of a traditional Naboo wedding dance. The delicate scent of flowers drifted from Mara's hair and he rested his cheek then lips on her forehead.

In unison, Luke and Mara turned and gazed across the terrace, arm in arm. Jaina had coaxed her father onto the dance floor and Chewie lumbered past sporting Jacen and little Anakin on his shoulders. The laughter of their friends drifted around them, echoed in the distance by the sounds of nocturnal birds.

Luke sighed, pulling his wife close. The Force had indeed smiled on his family, and they flourished in its circle of light.

THE END


End file.
